Giving to charities

At the present time, watching the news from around the world can be extremely challenging: the issues are so many and the needs are so great that we can feel powerless to respond. What is clear from the Bible however, is that God does indeed ask us to respond, even in our apparent powerlessness, putting generosity at the heart of the divine calling on our lives. At St Mary’s we believe that generosity has the capacity not only to transform the lives of those to whom we give, but equally importantly, that it is one of the ways in which we ourselves can also be transformed. Our giving to charities and organisations beyond St Mary’s is therefore not just a personal act of gratitude for all that God has done for us as individuals, but also a corporate act of worship for us as a church, and a way to signify our unity and common purpose.
 
We believe God, by the Holy Spirit is building the Kingdom of God in many ways. Jesus said his work is to bring Good News to the poor, proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free and that the time of the Lord’s favour has come. (Luke 4.18-19).  St Mary’s Church are supporting 5 charities whose work is to fulfil the missio dei – the mission of God in the world.
 
The ways we are doing this are: 

• donating money from PCC funds to the charities. 
• raising awareness of their work within the church
• praying for the work of the charities within services & other church events and encouraging people to pray at other times
• inviting people from the charities to speak at services 

The charities we are supporting are:
(click on the name of the charity to be taken to their website)

Mercy Ships

Justice and Care

Christian Blind Misson

Jigsaw South East

Christian Solidarity Worldwide

Click here for more information about each of the charities we support.