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

Harvest time gives us all the opportunity to be thankful for the abundance of the natural world. It also gives the Stewardship Committee the opportunity to write to everyone on the church’s electoral roll and to the Friends of St Giles' to thank you for all that you do for the church, whether you support it financially or by giving your time, talents, love or prayers. These are all treasures we rejoice in sharing.

We are conscious that the financial pressures being felt by many last year have not got any easier this year, and may indeed have got worse. We understand that not everyone will be able to make a financial contribution to the church. For those who can consider making a new or increased financial donation, we ask you to bear in mind that St Giles’ is facing many of the same pressures as those in the church community. For example, the current cost of heating is roughly double what it was before the war in Ukraine, and inflation has led to steep increases in the church’s other running costs. 

Separately from this, the church’s spending will continue to increase as it becomes more active both in its worship life and in its outreach to the wider community. So, for example, plans for ‘Little St Luke’s’ – the new church being established at St Luke’s School in the north of the parish – will mean that more money is needed to pay for musicians, a staff team and hospitality after the monthly school service, so providing a tangible demonstration of the church’s commitment to meeting the spiritual and practical needs of those living and working within the boundaries of the historic parish of St Luke’s. Similarly, the recruitment of an additional member of church staff has increased costs, but having a dedicated events coordinator should enable St Giles’ to host more concerts and take up other exciting opportunities in the future, perhaps including the launch of an arts festival.

Continuing financial support from those in the church community will play a vital role in ensuring that St Giles’ can continue to meet its running costs, maintain the fabric of its historic building, sustain and enrich its worship life and strengthen its outreach to the wider community. We therefore ask those of you who already give money to the church if you can increase the amount that you generously donate. If you do not currently support the church in this way, may we ask you to consider making this the year to start doing so?

You will find details overleaf of ways to give and how to ensure that your gift benefits from Gift Aid. We particularly welcome regular donations by standing order, as this method of giving enables the church to plan its finances with greater confidence.

With good wishes to you all at this Harvest time,

Catherine Urquhart, Amanda Dean and Malcolm Waters (Stewardship Committee)

Supporting St Giles’ Cripplegate

If you would like to speak to someone about giving to the church please ask a member of the Stewardship Committee. You can find us most Sunday mornings at church, or the Parish Office can give you contact details (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%. 

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

Please set up a Standing Order if you possibly can (and haven’t already done so). You can set up a Standing Order using online banking or a Standing Order form. The church’s bank details are available from the Parish Office and from the stewardship section of the church’s website at https://www.stgilesnewsite.co.uk/our-stewardship/, where you can also download a Standing Order form.

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’ in church at the electronic pay station near the door, or online at 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 leaving something 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.

Privacy

The amount of your kind donation or Standing Order is not known to either the members of the Stewardship Committee, or to the Rector. Such information is restricted to only those who need to know it, such as the church Treasurer.

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: 07766 202731; 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