THE BIBLE COURSE (Exploring the BIG story)

Why Give?

Like many other churches, Saint Mary operates on an extremely tight budget. Nonetheless, we don’t shy away from our calling as Christians to give sacrificially to the work of His Kingdom.

We give in response to God’s Generosity.

As a church, we believe in a generous God who has blessed us in various ways. God’s grace toward us is abundant – excessively so. The Bible reminds us that  “for everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more” (Luke 12:48). The message is that our possessions are to be used not merely for our enjoyment. They are for the benefit of the world around us. “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8). Of course, this doesn’t mean that giving is to be approached as a grim, oppressive duty. “Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). Our responsibility to give primarily responds to God’s generosity as an expression of joy and gratitude.

We Give for God’s Mission

Here at Saint Mary’s, we believe giving is part and parcel of our worship and discipleship. It is an integral part of showing our love for Christ. It is a vital part of who we are as Christians. Our efforts are not limited to the boundaries of our parish. We continue to support various charities such as our local Foodbank, Elmbridge Rentstart, caring for the homeless. We also support The Leprosy Mission working to eradicate this disease worldwide, and The Bible Society. Every year, we give a part of our income to these charities. Besides, we collaborate with our local schools yearly through the Shoebox Appeal, sending Christmas gifts to children worldwide and hosting school events and services. Our halls are used by many in the community, often at reduced prices and, in some cases, at no cost.

We give to cater for our community and the Vulnerable.

We have various services, events, and activities that cater to the lonely and vulnerable, elderly and young, and everyone who lives works or visits our parish. We have community activities such as SMART for toddlers, Meeting Point and Knitting and Colouring for the not so young, amongst many others. We seriously take our work with the community, especially our local schools and uniformed organisations. This is why we employ a Children and Families Worker and many volunteer helpers.   These align with our parish vision is ‘Loving, Serving, Growing’. As a church, we want to continue loving, serving, and seeing our community grow in harmony with each other and our environment.

We give to grow God’s Kingdom amongst us.

Part of our giving is spent maintaining our facilities, paring our staff, and contributing to creation’s beauty. We believe this is an essential part of our calling as Christians. We hope we ensure that Saint Mary’s continues to exist as a worshipping community for many years to come.

Everyone is encouraged to give in whatever way they can. Below are various methods and opportunities to contribute towards God’s Kingdom here in Oatlands 

 

Planned Giving

This is a way of regularly giving to the church. It involves setting up a Standing Order with your bank, and an agreed sum is transferred to the church on a steady basis as you agreed with your bank. Receiving this regular income helps tremendously in general budgeting and general financial planning. The amount to be donated is entirely at the donor’s discretion, and payments can be made weekly, monthly, quarterly or even annually to suit your financial arrangements. Once the standing order has been set up, it can be varied, either up or down, if needed. If you would like to contribute to St. Mary Oatlands in this way, you can download a bank Standing Order form here.

You could also sign the Gift Aid form if the donor is a UK Taxpayer, thereby increasing your donation by 25%, at no cost to yourself. Further information on this can be obtained from the Parish Office. The Gift Aid Declaration Form is available here.

Just Giving

If you would like to make a donation to support the work of St Mary Oatlands, one very easy way of doing so is to use this platform. Donations can be made on a regular or one-off basis. You could also use this format to set up specific fundraising initiatives for the church. Please do contact the Parish Office if you would like to do this. Our JustGiving page is here  

Giving by Text

This is a way of using your telephone to donate to the church. To use this method, please text OATLANDS3 to 70085. The text will cost £3, plus your standard network message charge. You will be opting to hear more about our work and fundraising via telephone or SMS. If you would like to give £3 but do not wish to receive marketing communications, text OATLANDSNOINFO3 to 70085. Please ensure that you obtain the bill payer’s permission.

Legacies

A gift in your will can express your gratitude and thanksgiving towards God and can help keep Saint Mary alive for generations to come. No matter how large or small, every gift left can make a lasting difference. If you would like to discuss this in confidence, please speak to our Vicar on 01932840077 email vicar@oatlandschurch.org.uk.  More information is also available here

One-Off Donations

There are times when you would want to show appreciation to God by donating to His church. We will be glad to receive such donations and they could be made through the details below:

Account name: St Mary Oatlands PCC

Sort Code: 40-52-40 (CAF Bank)

Account No.: 00028803

Online Shopping

If you are shopping online, why not use https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/chpf/homepage?orig=%2F ? Every time you make a purchase, Amazon will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to St Mary Oatlands. You could also use https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/ for other online shopping.

Donations in Memory

As a way of honouring occasions such as birthdays and wedding anniversaries, or in memory of a loved one, you may wish to donate to the church’s work. There are many projects to which such donations could be allocated. Please speak to our Vicar on 01932840077 or email vicar@oatlandschurch.org.uk.

You could also use the “Light up the Church” scheme. We ask for a minimum donation of £20 (plus Gift Aid if appropriate), and this will sponsor the floodlighting for a week.

Talents

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