"It is more blessed to give than to receive."
Acts Ch.20 v 35
The church has a back- table of resources including carefully selected Books, Bibles, Missionary Magazines, and Brochures. All resources are provided freely, without cost, as are all of our other supporting services.
We do not permit the trading or selling of any goods on the church premises at any time
and will not engage in any commercialised activities of any sort.
We seek to fully respect the teachings of Christ when he stated the words,
‘Freely you have received, freely shall you give’.
The Missionary Organisations Supported by The Church
Listed below are some of the more well-known Christian organisations that we as a church support.
- Barnabas Fund: www.barnabasfund.org
- Bible Society
- Good News for Everyone (formally known as Gideons UK): www.goodnewsuk.com
- Mission Aviation Fellowship
- Mission India UK: www.missionindia.org.uk
- Open Doors: www.opendoorsuk.org
- Release International: www.releaseinternational.org
- World Outreach
As a church, we will always seek to offer our wholehearted help and support towards any genuine cause or need as long as it embraces the true spiritual values and ethos that promote Christian compassion, kindness, and consideration, alongside the open proclamation and witness of the Christian gospel. During the past year, as well as donating money to all of the above Charities, we also supported the relief efforts for Ukraine, sending a sum of £500 towards much-needed medical supplies, food, clothing, and shelter (channeled through the churches in Ukraine), and a sum of £500 towards the supply of Bibles in the Ukrainian language for general distribution.
As a church seeking to be faithful to the values and precepts laid down by Christ, we do our best to uphold the principle that, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive'. We do not canvas for donations and money and will not seek to solicit funds for any of our own needs. Our only source of income is our Sunday Free-Will Offerings and any occasional gifts or donations that are voluntarily given for the ongoing Mission and purposes of the church - but again, we never require these of anybody. In general, we have for the past eight years or so, donated up to a third of our total annual income to the above-listed charities. The Pastor's monthly stipend is set at the most minimal level allowed by employment law, and all out-of-pocket expenses are self-met by the Pastor. No allowances are made for incidental costs such as rent, car, travel, phone, printing, administration, or any other church or personal needs, including sick pay or pension.
As all of our outgoing transactions are by cheque, we do not hand out money to those who simply come in off the street looking for handouts. In these instances, we will exercise wisdom and prudence first, for whilst we always want to help any genuine need, we are more than aware of the many charlatans and hoaxers that are simply out to scam money for their own illicit wants, particularly those that believe Christians to be 'soft targets' and overtly gullible.
We aim to be wise stewards of everything we manage, and that includes utilities, administration, and any other expenses. Wherever possible, costs are offset and met by church members themselves, and wherever repairs can be safely undertaken by any members in order to preserve the church's funds, then they are. The Pastor is reasonably acquainted with skills in electrical, plumbing, carpentry, and general building and grounds maintenance, and this has served to save the church considerable amounts of money which have then been channeled to more worthwhile and needy missionary and outreach costs.
Furthermore, in keeping with our ethos, we do not charge fees for Weddings, Funerals, and Dedications. Recipients will always be encouraged to honour the Lord where necessary for their own spiritual benefit, but all gifts and donations given for services rendered are done so freely and voluntarily and will be gratefully accepted. The same applies to any Christian group that may wish to use our church premises. We do not charge 'hire fees' and will allow any genuine group to use our premises for Christian purposes without cost.
It is our endeavour that at all times, we will fulfill the expected requirements highlighted in Matthew chapter 25 - vs.31 - 40, both personally and collectively, directly and indirectly, to minister to and provide for the poor and hungry, those who are sick and in prison, and those who are naked and destitute, and to exercise true Christian hospitality, refuge, and comfort; to weep with those who weep and to mourn with those that mourn; to give freely and cheerfully as we ourselves have received and been cheered.