The Principles

Put God’s money to one side first - give a percentage of your income

Key verse: 1 Corinthians 16:2 - Every Sunday each of you put aside some money, in proportion to what you have earned...

There are no ‘rules’ - just a guideline

Key verse: 2 Corinthians 9:7 - You should each give, then, as you have decided, not with regret or out of a sense of duty; for God loves the one who gives gladly

The guideline in the Bible is the ‘tithe’ – 10% of your income given back to God. Here we ask each other to consider offering 5% of income directly to this church. Jesus never mentioned a percentage, because it’s the heart that counts. Jesus asked the rich young man in Mark 10 to give it all up! One woman gave everything she had - her 2 small coins were ‘more than anyone else,’ said Jesus (Mark 12:43). It’s what’s in your heart that matters.

Giving is good for us

Key verse: Malachi 3:10 - Bring the full amount of your tithes to the temple so there will be plenty of food there. Put me to the test and see that I will open the window of heaven and pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things.

We learn through experience that ‘the more we give, the more we receive’.

We give for growth, to share in God’s joy

Key verse 2 Corinthians 9:6 - the person who sows few seeds will have a small crop; the one who sows many seeds will have a large crop.

At St Alphege, Whitstable we want to:

• Resource Children and Young People’s Ministry
• Minister to all our members
• Support the local and world Church
• Offer hospitality and fulfil the vision God has given us for growth and outreach

The Practicalities

There are two main ways you can give regularly to the church – by setting up a standing order with your bank or by joining the envelope scheme.

Standing Order
The very simple way to give – no more running around on a Sunday morning looking for cash. The Stewardship Recorder will supply a standing order form or give you the necessary details if you prefer to use telephone or internet banking.

Envelope Scheme
Everyone in the scheme is given a set of dated, numbered envelopes. Your contribution goes into the envelope, and is put in the collection plate when it is passed around.

This allows you privacy, and helps you to plan your giving. It does not commit you to giving a fixed amount every week – some people choose to give monthly, or however suits the way they receive their income.

Your donation information is kept confidential – only the Stewardship Recorder knows how much has been given by each individual. That information can be used to reclaim the Gift Aid, where appropriate.

Gift Aid
If you are a tax payer, you can boost your giving by completing a Gift Aid declaration – we can then reclaim 25% of your contribution at no further cost to yourself. The only criterion is that the tax you pay covers the amount of tax reclaimed on all your donations to every charity you support during the tax year. For example, if you donate £1000 during a tax year, £250 can be reclaimed as long as you pay at least £250 in tax for that year. All we need on the declaration is your name, address and the date – you don’t have to give any other information.

It is also possible to make a one-off gift via electronic banking* (BACS), direct through the Stewardship Recorder, or by using a yellow Gift Aid envelope (available in the Church). If a BACS donation is also to be gift aided, please follow up the donation by sending a completed Gift Aid Donation form to the Stewardship Recorder.

For more details required to set up a standing order or BACS payment(s), please contact us.