In conjunction with the Diocese, we have our Planned Giving Drive on the following weekends:
- 24th &25th February
- 3rd & 4th March
- 10th & 11th March
Members of our Parish Finance Committee have been speaking to you in more detail about our parish finances in the context of our parish vision and if you wish to be involved, to tell you how best to do this.
We are asking you all to renew your financial and volunteering commitment to the parish. This pledge will not bind you, but it allows the parish to plan ahead for the future in confidence. Volunteers and members of the Parish Finance Committee are available at the back of the Church, after Mass to answer any questions you might have.
Please re-consider your financial and volunteering commitments to the parish. You can make a significant difference.
Currently, only about 50% of our offertory donations are Gift Aided, and as a result our parish is missing out on up to £9,900 a year! This money would make a significant difference to our parish finances, and wouldn’t cost you, or the parish, anything extra!
Please let us also know that you would like to volunteer – it could be as simple as sending an email saying that you are open to have a chat about it (it could be ‘as little’ or ‘as much’ as you feel comfortable with)
Once again I take this opportunity to thank all of you for all that you do here in the parish. It’s very much appreciated.
Find out more about giving to the Parish
— Fr Christopher
May God bless you all. God is many things in the Old Testament He is referred to as all-powerful, all-loving and merciful. We get this image more clearly in our Lord. Everything we see around us he has given to us and St Gregory Nazianzen says, ‘Acknowledge whence you have existence, breath, and understanding. Acknowledge whence you have what is most important of all, your knowledge of God, your hope of the kingdom of heaven, your contemplation of glory which in this life is of course through a glass darkly but hereafter will be perfect and clear.’ If we are then made in His image, as the Bible and Catechism remind us, then we are inherently generous.
Do we get a tremendous joy in giving? yes, we do, it may be the smallest thing, to a loved one, a charity or a stranger. We find ourselves more alive and want to do more! it’s in our spiritual DNA to give.
If I was asked who is the greatest giver I have to say that God is the greatest giver of all and we draw closer to Him in our giving and in that giving no matter how small, God is in motion, and in action. It’s not easy, nor should it be! we are called to think about our giving, and not sprinkle a few coins around.
In Deuteronomy, we read, ‘you must set aside the first-fruits of all the produce of the soil raised by you in the land the Lord is giving you.’ ( Deu 26:2-3).
St Paul, writing to the Corinthians says, ‘ Each one should give what he has decided in his own mind, not grudgingly or because he is made to, for God loves a cheerful giver. And there is no limit to the blessings which God can send you, He will make sure that you will always have all you need for yourselves in every possible circumstance, and still, have something to spare for all sorts of good works.'(2 Cor 9: 7-8).
Our Christian understanding of giving is distinctive: It’s giving to God what he has given to us in the first place- which is everything! God is the owner and you and I are his Stewards. Our time, talents and treasure have been entrusted to us to use in a unique way to serve and grow closer to God. Stewardship means receiving God’s gifts gratefully, tending to them in a responsible and accountable manner, sharing them in love for others, and returning a meaningful portion to the Lord.
Hence, it’s good to reflect on our blessings and renewing our commitment periodically to our Catholic faith is an important part of our spiritual growth and Christian discipleship. Many parishes throughout the diocese run a planned giving drive at least every three years.
It’s an opportunity for parishes to learn about the parish finances, and to learn more about the most effective methods of offertory giving (such as Gift Aid and donating by Standing Order) in the context of the parish mission and vision.
The Members of the Parish Finance Committee will be speaking to you over this weekend. More importantly, a planned giving drive is an invitation to all parishioners to reflect and renew the commitment of our time, talents and treasure to the parish.
Having heard about stewardship, and the biblical message of generosity, I would encourage you to consider prayerfully the following questions:
- How is God calling me to use the blessings and gifts He has entrusted to me?
- Am I using my gifts of time, talent, and my financial blessings responsibly, and how can I use them to support my parish?
- Does my current contribution reflect the importance of the parish in my life?
Should you be considering renewing your giving, I would encourage you to:
- Give thanks: The more we give thanks, the more we realise how much we’ve been given.
- Give regularly: It would make a huge difference if you commit to giving on a regular basis- our giving is not a subscription for the services we attend: the work of the Parish goes on whether or not we have been to our Parish on a particular Sunday. By giving regularly we continue to journey in our relationship with God and our parish community.
- Give generously: Traditionally a tithe was the first fruits of our labour; The current definition is to give 5&5. That is 5% of your income to charity and 5 hours a month of your time to your parish community. Indeed the amount you give is your personal decision, and you are the only one who knows your circumstances and what you feel God is inviting you to give. The point here is to give a considered amount that is meaningful to you and noticeable, not just from your surplus. Remember Cardinal Hume he of happy memory used to say, ‘Give to God your first hour’s pay each week.’
- Give yourself: spend time in prayer for the mission and ministry here at St Edmund’s. Perhaps you could get involved in giving your time in new ways? Consider those areas you find it easiest to give, and which you need to work at so that you notice your giving. Thank you for all that you do here and it’s very much appreciated by me. God bless you all.
Find out more about giving to the Parish
— Fr Christopher