Giving Money

Why should we give 

The bible teaches us that we should give not out of fear, duty or in an attempt to win God’s favour but out of gratitude; because the Lord has given to us, we should give back to Him. As Scripture proclaims everything belongs to God, we manage the property of our Lord. Since everything belongs to Christ, we need to have the attitude and view that our things are His things, our stuff is His stuff.

Here are some things that the bible teaches us about giving;

• We should give as a first priority - Our offering should be the first part that is decided, not what is left over."Bring the best of the first fruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God." Exodus 23:19
• We should give as a part of worship - Our offering is an important part of our act of worship."Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts." Psalm 96:8
• We should give regularly - "On the first day of every week each of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income." 1 Corinthians 16:12
• We should give generously and cheerfully - "Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Corinthians 9:6-7
• God will honour our giving - "Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." Malachi 3:10

 Why should we give
We encourage you to pray and consider giving to St Dunstan’s or to reconsider your giving if you already contribute. The best way to give is:

• Regularly - we pay most of our costs monthly, so it is good to get monthly income.
• Tax Efficiently - if you are a tax-payer and you fill in a Gift Aid form, St Dunstan’s can get all your tax back - an extra 25%.
• Realistically - our budget is over £100,000 per year, and we get no subsidies from the Church of England or the Government. Everything is paid for by our giving.
• Proportionally - our incomes vary, and can rise and fall with time, so the best way to give is proportionally. A tithe (10% of income) is the Bible’s guideline. For some, this may be too much; for others it is a starting point.

There are a number of ways to give:

• Via the Parish Giving Scheme (PGS) through direct debit.  You can sign up on line (search for East Acton St Dunstan's) or there are forms available in church to sign up.  This is our preferred option as PGS handle all the administration and Gift Aid claims and do not charge for this service. 
• Via standing order or electronic transfer directly into our bank account: 00030966, sort code: 40-52-40 Sorry, our bank does not confirm name checks yet, so you need to accept the payment without this.
• Through a payroll giving / charity giving scheme like Charities Trust or Stewardship.org
• One-off gifts in Sunday services or to the office as cash, cheques, card/phone payments.  To apply Gift Aid, use the yellow envelopes available in the back of the church, or fill in our Gift Aid form