Supporting our Church

Thank you for thinking about how you can support us.

St Mary’s is a thriving church offering a focus for our worship, a witness to God’s love and a welcome to all.  We have exciting plans to develop our buildings further, to extend our work with young people and to reach out to those in need in our community.

In response to God’s love, we are called to live gratefully and generously and that includes using our time, our abilities and our money in God’s service.

So we’ve summarised below some possible ways you can support us.  Please contact us if you want to find out more on any of the subjects below.

 

Financial Giving

St Mary’s is a thriving church offering a focus for our worship, a witness to God’s love and a welcome to all.  We have exciting plans to develop our buildings further, to extend our work with young people and to reach out to those in need in our community and our running expenses amount to over £650 a day. Some of this goes to the Chelmsford Diocese as part of our Parish Share, which in turn provides the stipends of clergy and some supports the church directly. This leaflet explains how this works.

In response to God’s love, we are called to live gratefully and generously and that includes using our time, our abilities and our money in God’s service.

So we’ve summarised below some possible ways you can support us.  Please contact us if you want to find out more on any of the subjects below.

"Each of you must give you as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance…"  2 Corinthians 9:7-8

Everyone must decide for themselves what to give — we all face different circumstances.  An important principle in thinking about how much to give is the idea of “giving in proportion to what you have.”  The Church of England’s guideline is to give 5% of our income as a starting point.  Some Christians follow the Biblical example of giving a tithe, 10%.

Regular Planned Giving

If you can support us financially then regular giving via a Standing Order helps us to plan tax efficiently, as does using the yellow envelopes in the pews.   Whatever you can give, however large or small, will be greatly appreciated, and further increase in value by 25% if you are able to gift aid it.  This leaflet on Planned Giving has more information and a form to complete. Contact our treasurer David Birchall to find out more - treasurer@stmaryssaffronwalden.org 

One off Donations

 

Online Giving

We are very grateful to those who continue to support our church’s running costs with their standing orders. However, you can also use your credit or debit card to donate money directly to our church using our secure online giving provider ”Give a Little” by clicking on this link. And you can even gift aid it. Any contributions will be most appreciated. Thank you.

 

Cheques.

These are always most welcome. Cheques should be made payable to Saffron Walden PCC and and sent to The Treasurer, The Parish Office,  St Mary’s Church,  Church Path,  Saffron Walden,  Essex,  CB10 1JP  or posted through the Parish Rooms letter box. If you are a UK taxpayer, we can also claim Gift Aid of 25p in every £1 you donate, whether as a single gift or by standing order.   A gift Aid form can be downloaded here.

When in church

Collections/basket/plate
Either a collection will be taken during the service of contributions can be left in the basket/plate as you leave or put in the blue safe near the main door.

CollecTin Contactless Machines
We have 2 contactless card machines and these are located near the start of the main aisle by the main west door and also near the south door. You can use your credit or debit card in a contactless manner to donate money directly to our church using our secure online giving provider ”Give a Little”.  And you can even gift aid it.

Use your phone using the above QR code
See 'Online Giving'  above

Any contributions will be most appreciated. Thank you.

Wills and Legacies

Have you considered leaving a proportion of your estate as a gift in your will to our parish?  This leaflet on Wills and Legacies explains a bit more about how you might do this. Contact our treasurer David Birchall to find out more - treasurer@stmaryssaffronwalden.org 

Our response:  As a community centred on the Risen Christ - who became poor, so that by his poverty, we may become rich - we live in response to what God has given us. We make our lives an offering, our time, our money and our love.

"Yours, Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the splendour, and the majesty; for everything in heaven and on earth is yours. All things come from you, and of your own do we give you."
 

Supporting us through prayer and worship

You can support St. Mary’s by your presence at our services, and by your prayers, whether at home or in church or with others. Our Prayer page on this website has lots of ideas about other ways you can support and join us in prayer.
 

Giving of your time and talents

If you count yourself as part of our congregation then please do think about how your time and abilities can best help us. Here are some of our activities that you may be able to help us with:

• cleaning and maintaining our church so we can open it every day to welcome all;
• decorating our church with flowers and banners to enhance its beauty;
• visiting the sick and housebound and comforting the bereaved;
• helping at school assemblies and/or our youth and children’s groups;
• helping prepare couples for marriage and families for baptism;
• organising support for our linked missionaries and our adopted charities;
• showing the love of Christ to all through our care, comfort and compassion;

or for other ideas, why not have a look at our various groups to see which you might best be able to help?
 

By Joining our Electoral Roll

If you’re a regular church attender and 16 or older you may become a member of our Church by filling in this Electoral Roll Application Form – and making the declarations on it or contact our Electoral Roll Officer - electoralroll@stmaryssaffronwalden.org.  The Electoral Roll is simply a “Church Membership” list and entitles you to a vote at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting at which the members of the Parish Church Council are elected.