GIVING TO GOD’S WORK
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
2 Corinthians 9:6-8
Jesus talked a lot about money. He said that our attitude to money, how we view it and how we use it, is an indicator of what is going on in our hearts. Being ready to give gladly and generously to God’s work is first and foremost a response to his generous work of grace in our lives. It is a key part of our commitment to be disciples of Jesus. So it’s good to take time to think about our giving.
We are truly grateful to God for the way in which he has provided for all that we do here at Christ Church. We are also thankful for the way in which members of the congregation commit themselves to regular giving, not just financial but also in time and talents. As we review our giving for this year, here are five principles that the Bible teaches for our giving.
Joyful. God loves a cheerful giver. When we think about all that God has given us, we realise that we don’t need to give reluctantly or just out of duty. We can give with a sense of joy and excitement knowing that God can use what we give for eternal purposes.
Proportional. We often think of giving in terms of a percentage. The Church of England encourages people to give 5% of their income. Other Christians follow the Old Testament pattern of tithing (giving 10%) of their income. But the Bible points us to proportional giving—those with more give more. 10% may be too difficult for some and not very significant for others. It may be helpful to start by giving a percentage and then looking to increase that regularly.
Sacrificial. If there is no element of sacrifice to our giving, then it is hard to see how this brings honour to God. The more we discover of what God has done for us the more we will be ready to make sacrifices to honour him.
Planned. The Bible teaches us to give in a planned and regular way, not just on impulse. This may mean setting aside time to think and pray through what we can give, and then planning carefully to make sure it happens.
Secret. This guards us against pride and is why we keep giving confidential at Christ Church.
Please read our 2024 ‘Giving to God’s WoRK’ booklet.
Budget presentation from our treasurer, please follow this link
Pray. Take time to think and pray about how you can steward wisely all that God has given you and how you can support the ministry at Christ Church.
Ask. If you have any questions, do ask a member of staff or contact the treasurer via the Church Office.
Give. Once you have prayerfully decided to give to God’s work, we invite you to use one of the methods below.
Regular Giving. Regular giving, for example by a monthly standing order, can be a helpful way to honour God with our finances. It also makes budgeting and financial planning much easier for the church. If you are already giving in this way, it may be that you can increase your standing order over time or as your circumstances change.
Standing Orders. If you would prefer to set up a regular payment through your bank please use the following account details:
Christ Church Surbiton PCC A/c no: 28010035 Sort Code: 60-21-05 (Natwest)
Giving Page. You can make one-off gifts, or set up new regular gifts through our dedicated giving page: https://ccsurbiton.churchsuite.com/donate
My ChurchSuite. For many, the easiest way to manage all your giving is through your My ChurchSuite page. Simply login to your account and select the ‘My Giving’ option from the menu. Here you can take control of your giving, either as one-off gifts (like a Thank Offering) or a recurring donation, whilst also managing your gift aid declarations. You can even set a pledge to help you plan your annual giving, and to help the PCC to budget for the year ahead.
At Church. Some people find it easier to give at the collection plate at the Welcome Desk. This may be part of a regular commitment to give or simply a way to give a ‘thank offering’ when God prompts us. Cheques can be made payable to “Christ Church PCC”.
One-Off Gifts. Some people are able to give occasional ‘one-off’ gifts. These donations often help us to close the gap between our regular income and our planned expenditure. Again you can make ‘one-off’ gifts through our dedicated Giving page your My ChurchSuite account.
Giving by Text. You can now make one-off and regular financial gifts to Christ Church through text. Simply send a text to 07380 307800 with "CCSHKT5 give" followed by the amount you wish to give. You'll then receive a text back with a link to complete a giving form online.
For example, to make a one-off gift of £5 text "CCSHKT5 give 5".
If you would like to set up a regular gift, add "monthly" or "weekly" after the amount.
For example to send a weekly gift for £5 text "CCSHKT5 give 5weekly", or for a monthly gift of £10 text "CCSHKT5 give 10monthly".
For more details on this new service you can read this article from ChurchSuite.Gift Aid. If you are a UK tax payer, please fill in and return a Gift Aid form (TRUST or PCC) and return them to the Church Office. This means that we can reclaim an additional 25p of tax for every £1 that you give. Gift Aid declarations are easily managed through your My ChurchSuite account.
Legacy Giving. Over the years the ministry at Christ Church has benefitted from members who have generously left a legacy in their will. The PCC has passed a resolution to make sure that any legacies are used for significant projects.
Christ Church Trust
The Christ Church Trust was set up to provide housing and a contribution toward the locally employed staff. If you would like to give towards this important aspect of the life of the church with a one-off donation or with a regular standing order, the bank details are:
Sort Code: 40-52-40 Account Number: 00011497
If you are a tax payer you can increase your giving by filling in the Gift Aid Form
Easy Fundraising. Did you know that whenever you buy anything online – from your weekly shop to your annual holiday – you could be raising free donations for Christ Church with easyfundraising?
There are over 4,000 shops and sites on board ready to make a donation – including eBay, Waitrose, John Lewis, ASOS, Booking.com and M&S – and it won’t cost you a penny extra to help us raise funds. All you need to do is:
Go to https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/ccsurbitonhill/?utm_campaign=raise-more and join for free.
Every time you shop online, go to easyfundraising first to find the site you want and start shopping.
After you’ve checked out, the retailer will make a donation to Christ Church at no extra cost to you whatsoever!
There are no catches or hidden charges and we will be really grateful for your donations. Thank you for your support.