Gratitude and Generosity

Gratitude and generosity* is a flexible approach to encouraging and enabling parishes to renew their Christian stewardship with the assistance and support of the Parish Funding Officer.

At various stages of any stewardship programme parishes will need to make choices to suit their situation and meet their particular needs.

What is your objective?

Are you aiming to increase the regular, committed giving of money within the parish?
Are you wanting to increase involvement through better giving of time, talent and money?
Are you needing to raise a large sum of money for a particular project, whether it be for the church building or a mission initiative to serve the community?

What will be the core element of your stewardship/giving campaign?

A Diocesan programme or one of own making?
A single worship event or presentation?
A series of sermons, each followed by an opportunity for the congregation to offer opinions, leading to a presentation about the life of the church?
Discussions and sharing within house groups?
A simple meal with a presentation to share information and vision?
A Parish Gift Day?
A public event inviting the wider community to support the parish?

Who and how will you contact people to inform them of your main event?

You will need to produce an up to date contact list for those you need to engage with.
Would an invitation be effective?
You will need to write a letter of invitation and explanation combined with an information leaflet and response mechanism.

Alongside these are the core ingredients essential in any Christian stewardship programme:

Commitment and Enthusiasm from the members of the PCC, particularly from those who will form the planning group.

Prayer to remind us that we are working with God and need His strength and direction.

Careful Preparation to ensure the smooth running of the programme.

Teaching Christian giving as a response to God's grace and giving as a way of sharing the Gospel through worship, mission and service of the church.

Imaginative Material to convey the message.

Responses from those members on your contact list.

Thanksgiving to God for His help and support with the programme and for His Spirit moving the people to better giving and greater involvement.

The importance of prayer, teaching and thanksgiving point to worship which plays an important part in any Gratitude and Generosity programme. Sunday worship is the main gathering point for the people of your church. This is an opportunity to help people focus on the spiritual heart of the programme. A Daily Bible Reading & Prayer Plan is available and recommended to use each week before your funding programme starts.

Help is available from our Parish Funding Officer

Advising PCCs when they are planning a Christian stewardship programme.
Providing detailed guidance and support for the planning group through every stage of the programme and providing resources and encouragement to ensure that giving becomes part of the lifeblood of the Church.

All our programmes are flexible and will be tailored to fit the needs of each parish. They all have common threads:

List of names and addresses of those to be contacted.
Letters of invitation and explanation.
Information booklet/leaflet
Response mechanisms.

Programme Outlines

Sunday Trio aimed at the worshipping family and church members, who are invited to attend a service. Uses a 3-part presentation to give a message about the 'Life of the parish church. Click here to download further information.

Worship Trio is a 2 month programme which involves the congregation by asking them to give answers to questions posed during a series of services. To download more details about this programmeclick here.

Community Trio aimed at the worshipping family and the wider community. Individuals/families are invited to a social event. To find out more click here.

Jigsaw aimed at the worshipping family, electoral roll members, those who use the church or see themselves as members. 2 special Sundays (1st Eucharist, 2nd Songs of Praise). Letter, information, response card, piece of jigsaw are sent to everyone on the list. Should convey the need for belonging - the parish is like a jigsaw - if a piece is missing, it doesn't work properly. Don't be the missing piece. Click here to download further information on this programme

Pass It On aimed at the worshipping family or 'tight' community groups. Individuals pass on the pack to the next person on their list after they have read their letters and responded. click here to download more information.

GEM (Giving Enables Ministry or Loaves and Fishes) aimed at the worshipping family, best as an update one year after a previous campaign. Invite to service/worship followed by a meal (given or shared). Click here to find out more.

Daily Bible Reading and Prayer Plan Click here to download. This should be used each day leading up to the start of your programme by up to two members of the congregation, either in church or at home.

Filo-Faith Used to give an account of parish income & expenditure. Keeps everyone up to date with anniversaries, important addresses and 'don't forget' page. Simple sermon presented at normal Sunday service to let congregation know of its stewardship/giving needs.

Study for PCC Given by the Parish Funding Officer at a meeting with the PCC. Discussed with clergy before this meeting. Click here to download a study leaflet for PCC "Christian Giving is Generous Giving".

Study for Congregation Worked through with Clergy/Readers before any stewardship event. Study leaflet passed to congregation at a service, possibly attended by the Parish Funding Officer, before the programme starts. Click here to download leaflet "Giving for the Gospel".

Or, why not try something different which might more suit your congregation?

Click here to see some examples of alternatives to the standard programmes.