Our beautiful churches have been places of worship for centuries and it is often all too easy to take for granted their presence and the role they play in their village communities, as they have done for countless generations. Whether or not you attend church most of us still try to live by Christian values and many return to Church for major life events such as christenings, marriage, or to provide comfort at times of bereavement.
With this in mind we would like to secure our churches for future generations so that they have the opportunity to visit and worship in such places. As we do not receive any money from the Government or the Church of England, the upkeep (it currently costs approximately £105,070 a year – or £2,020 per week – to keep our churches open and active) relies on people’s donations. If you have enjoyed and benefited from our churches, and are willing to make a donation towards our work in these communities, we would be most grateful. If you want to find out how the Church of England is funded click here.
Making a Donation
It is easy to make an online donation to any of our churches by clicking the following links –
All Saints, Bishopswood
St Peters, Dixton
St Swithins, Ganarew
St Dubricius, Whitchurch
St James, Wyesham
Why should I consider giving money to our churches:
The Bible tells us that all things come from God (1 Chronicles 29:14) and that we are stewards of these gifts (e.g. 1 Peter 4:10). Steward (both in English and Greek) means ‘housekeeper’; we are responsible for looking after resources – including the planet – for future generations, and Jesus reiterated the call to his disciples directly and in his parables both to use our resources wisely and not to build up treasure for ourselves on earth (e.g. Matthew 6:19).
Giving is part of God’s grace and response to our generous God, and we are called to give cheerfully and willingly, according to our means and even beyond our means, sharing what we have with others so that no one has too much and no one has too little (e.g. 2 Corinthians 8). We give to the church because we believe in sharing our faith with others, in caring for people, and in gathering as local churches and part of a worldwide community of followers of Jesus – it is no accident that the Greek word for community and communion is the same. As Paul also writes in 2 Corinthians 8, giving is part of how we express not only our faith but also our love.
Parochial Church Councils are charities, although most, as charities with an income of under £100,000, are ‘excepted’ under charity law. So is the Hereford Diocesan Board of Finance and, like other charities, PCCs and the HDBF are funded through a mixture of private voluntary donations, legacies, grants and investments.