St. Stephen’s relies on the generous support that so many people give by their time, their talents and their financial giving. We are enormously grateful to those who give to St. Stephen’s and the regular giving of our members (often called Christian Stewardship) helps maintain and grow our church.
St. Stephens' Financial Position It costs over £180,000 a year to maintain the regular life of St. Stephen’s - £500 per day. This covers the upkeep of our services and buildings, office administration and the payment of our lay staff, as well as our charitable giving.
It also includes our largest single item, the payment we make to the Diocese. St. Stephen’s is responsible for meeting its full costs, and receives no grant aid for its regular life from public or Church of England funds.
We are fortunate to receive a little over half our income from the use of our property, but otherwise we largely rely on the regular and generous giving of our church members for half our needs.
Two things help us particularly:
Please give if possible through a Standing Order with your bank. This is hassle-free and also enables the church to judge the income it can rely on.
If you are a UK taxpayer, please make sure to use Gift Aid. This increases the value to us of your donation by 25%, at no cost to yourself. Higher rate taxpayers can recover the balance of the tax credit from the HMRC as well. Gift Aid envelopes are always available in church.
Including St. Stephens in your will Please consider including St. Stephen’s in your will. Over the years St. Stephen’s has greatly benefited from the forethought and generosity of its past members, and your legacy will benefit future generations.
St. Stephens in turn, gives to charitable causes Finally, because we believe that charitable giving is a basic Christian duty, St. Stephen’s pledges 5% of its regular income to charitable causes, both local and overseas.
Further information For further information about Standing Orders, Gift Aid or any aspect of supporting the church financially, please contact our Bursar, Mrs Alison Neilson, at the Parish Office.