Gift Day 2024 - 17th March 2024 

March 2024

‘Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.’   2 Corinthians 9:7
 

Dear St Paul’s Church Family,
 
This coming Sunday (March 17th) we will hold our Gift Day.  This letter aims to help you prepare by giving an overview of where we are at, some Bible encouragements and a guide to ways in which you can give.
 

Our Present Need

We are grateful to God for his kind provision for us through generous giving from within the church family as well as from external gospel partners. In recent years, Covid19 and the economic climate have presented particular challenges for us all, as well as the finances of St Paul’s. Our 2023 income was £140,000 and our expenditure was £149,000 and so we are facing a deficit of around £10,000.
Therefore, this March we want to encourage each other to give beyond our normal regular giving, a one-off gift to our General Fund – to boost the fund to meet the demands of the ongoing ministry here at St Paul’s.
 
 

A Prayerful Response 

2 Corinthians 8 & 9
When praying about our giving these are good chapters of the Bible to visit. They remind us that our giving is about partnership in the gospel work of the church as well as an expression of our love for, and trust in, Jesus. Therefore, giving is not an afterthought of our discipleship but very much part of our ministry.
It is a great joy to witness generous giving week after week, month after month, and for it we thank our heavenly Father for his faithfulness.  Our Gift Day next Sunday (March 17th), is a chance for us to continue in this work together and a chance to pray, reflect and respond to these words individually and together.
 
Our Giving is in response to what the Lord has given us through Christ’s poverty (2 Corinthians 8 v 9). Generosity takes many forms. We can give of our time, talents
and material possessions. We also lay our money before Him.

 2 Corinthians 9      7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever.” 10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

When we give gladly…
we experience more of God’s love (v.7)
we receive more of God’s grace (v.8)
we imitate Jesus (v.9)
we receive more of God’s righteousness  (v.10)
we glorify the Giver (our loving God who supplies our needs) v.11-15 
 

HOW TO GIVE

Find out more about how to give to the work of St Paul’s here

This Gift Day for our General Fund also provides an opportunity to review our ongoing giving. Take some time this week to pray this through, Look at your financial statements and ask the Lord what (if anything) needs to change.

For those not giving regularly, please consider setting up a standing order.  This is the most efficient way to give to the church.  You can either submit it to your bank to set up or you can use the details to set up regular giving through online banking.  Please give your surname and any specific instructions (if any) as a reference.  (There is a Standing Order form here.)

Legacy Giving: You also may want to begin thinking about leaving a gift to St Paul’s (‘for the general purpose of gospel work’) in your will   
 
In gospel partnership,
 
Nelly Lukwo, Treasurer
Dan McGowan, Vicar