Thanks to the generous giving of church members in Peasedown St John, Wellow and Shoscombe, the three ‘St J’s Group’ churches have given away over £7,000 this year to local, national and international causes.
All of the churches have adopted the biblical principle of giving away the first 10% of their income each year in a bid to practice what they preach.
At John’s Church in Peasedown, over £5,000 was set aside for the church’s Tithing Committee to make decisions about where the money should go. In the past 12 months the committee, chaired by Church member David Cox, has received applications for funding and financial assistance from a range of organisations.
David said: “This year we have been able to support international projects such as Juba in Sothern Sudan, Flame International and Tearfund – a worldwide relief charity working with some of the poorest communities who have no running water, schools or medical facilities. The oversees projects we support often have a personal link for our church so we can receive regular feedback on how our donations are being spent.
“We are also extremely pleased to be supporting local initiatives such as the Timsbury-based charity Bibles for Children and the Filling Station – an initiative which takes the Christian message to people in a more relaxed and informal manner.”
St Julian’s Church in Wellow has donated £1,500, which was split between organisations such as Send a Cow, Mercy Ships and the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, St Julian’s Church in Shoscombe gave over £500 to a range of causes including the Children’s Society, Dorothy House and Shoscombe Village Hall.
Church Leader, the Revd Matthew Street, commented: “All of my churches feel extremely blessed to be in a position to donate this money each year.
“As we move more into a culture of collaborative working, and building a ‘Big Society’, the church can play an increasingly key role in supporting projects which in the past would have received their support from elsewhere.”
On Sunday 27th November, the St J’s Group will celebrate Mission Sunday with services in all the churches that will include presentations from groups that have benefitted from funding. Anyone is welcome to go along to find out more:
10.00am,
St Julian’s Church, Shoscombe
10.30am,
St John’s Church, Peasedown
11.15am,
St Julian’s Church, Wellow
4.30pm,
Peasedown Youth Hub, Peasedown
For more information about Mission and Outreach giving in the St J’s Group contact the benefice administrator Hywel Carr on 07881 921018 or email [email protected] or alternatively, visit the new look website for the St J’s Group, www.stjsgroup.com, which includes details of future events, the church’s work in the community, activities going on during the week and live recordings of Sunday sermons.
