Support Us

“All things come from you, O Lord, and of your own do we give you.” (1 Chronicles 29:14)

We are most grateful to all those who support St Mary’s with gifts of money and/or time. Like most churches, St Mary’s does not receive any central funding and therefore relies on the generosity of its members and friends to support all that it does.

What we spend

Our annual day-to-day expenditure totals nearly £70,000, before any significant expenditure on repairs to the fabric of the church. The breakdown below shows what we spent last year from our unrestricted funds. As can be seen the most significant item is ministry (the parish share) which is the money we give to the Diocese to provide clergy, housing, support, training and church insurance.

Where our income comes from

Around 70% of our general income comes from giving and donations. The remainder comes from fees for weddings and funerals, the parish magazine (in the form of advertising income and subscriptions) and from the 100 Club and other fundraising.

How to support St Mary’s

There are a number of ways to support us, as follows:

-          Planned and regular giving: This sort of donation (no matter how small) forms the most crucial element of our income. To find out more about how to give in this way, see our 'Planned Giving' page here.

-          One-off donations

-          Remembering our church in your will, see our 'Legacies' page.

Volunteers

Just as important as financial giving is the giving of time and talents. More information can be found on our 'Volunteering' page.