Our Stewardship

Giving is a fundamental concept of the Christian faith: God’s giving of his Son, and the Son’s giving of his life for the world. The Sacrament of the love of God is celebrated here at St Giles’ for our life and the life of the world; and at its heart are the words that proclaim the self-giving of God. We in turn are called to a life of generous giving – of our time, our skills and our money.

We ask you to reflect and pray as you consider your giving.  If you are already making regular donations and your finances allow it, perhaps you may give more.  

Harvest Letter 2021

We are writing this Harvest time to thank you for your continued support for St Giles’, particularly during this past difficult year. We write each year to all of you on the Electoral Roll, and all Friends of St Giles, to express our gratitude for your support for the church, whether financial or practical. Donations to the church have played a vital role in maintaining the fabric of the building, our ministry, and our role in the community during this uniquely testing time. As is customary at Harvest time, we ask those of you who already give money to the church if you are able to increase the amount that you generously donate. If you do not currently support the church in this way, we ask you to consider doing so.

Heritage: a church has stood on this site for more than 1,000 years. The current Grade 1 building, much of which dates from the 15th century, is one of the few medieval churches to have survived both the Fire of London and the Blitz. Your generosity helps us to maintain and improve the fabric of the church. This year we replaced the very old pews with glorious polished wood seats and benches made by Treske, which together with the new lighting installed last year have made the church feel brighter and more open, and given us more flexibility in our seating (which has been helpful for social distancing).

Worship: The church had to close to the public during lockdowns, but prayers were said and candles lit in it each day. Services continued over our YouTube channel. Since restrictions have been lifted, we have been able to gather once again for services.

Community: the re-opening of the church has enabled us to resume the very popular book fairs, and to invite musicians and bell-ringers back to St Giles’ for concerts and events.

The future: St Giles’ is currently in an ‘interregnum’ since the retirement of Rev Katharine Rumens after 20 years of service to the parish. Worship is now led by our curate, Rev Alex Norris, supported by local clergy, while we prepare to welcome a new rector in 2022. We hope that, with the generous support of our donors, next year we will continue to improve the church with the creation of a servery area and an upgraded office and vestry.

Like all heritage buildings, St Giles’ needs regular maintenance and investment to keep it secure and to meet modern standards. Currently it costs nearly £600 per day to keep the church running. If you are able to make a new or increased donation, you will find details overleaf of ways to give and how to ensure your gift benefits from Gift Aid. Any amount you can give will help to support the work of St Giles’ and the maintenance of an outstanding building in the heart of the Barbican. We particularly value regular donations by Standing Order, which enables us to plan our finances with greater confidence.

With all good wishes to you at this Harvest time,

Catherine Urquhart, Malcolm Waters and Tim Passey  (Stewardship Committee)

If you would like to speak to someone about giving to the church please speak to any member of the Stewardship Committee, whose contact details can be obtained from the Parish Office (tel: 020 7638 1997; email admin@stgileschurch.com) 

Standing Order

This is our preferred way for you to give, and the Stewardship Committee’s target is to increase the number of people paying by Standing Order by 15%.

By knowing what is coming in regularly, outgoings can be met more easily, with bills paid and improvements planned with confidence.

Please set up a Standing Order if you possibly can (if you haven’t already done so). You can set up a Standing Order using online banking (see below SO form for bank details) or use a Standing Order form available from the church parish office or downlodable below.

If you have an existing Standing Order, as the costs of keeping St Giles’ open and running only go upwards, we urge you to increase your giving if you can.

Gift Aid

If you are a UK taxpayer your donations may be eligible for Gift Aid, whereby for every £1 you give us, we can reclaim 25p from the tax you have paid. And it doesn’t cost you a penny. All you have to do is fill in a Gift Aid declaration form, available in church, from the parish office or via our website.

Online donations

You can also give to St Giles online via www.stewardship.org.uk/partners/20099707.  St Giles will receive the full amount of your donation and your donation can be gift aided at the same time.

Wills

Please consider making a bequest to St Giles’ Cripplegate in your will. We will use legacies to fund significant projects in the Parish. Since circumstances change over the years, you are encouraged to leave a legacy for the general purposes of the Parish.

ALL FINANCIAL INFORMATION YOU GIVE US IS TREATED IN CONFIDENCE