Financial Stewardship

Why should I give?

As members of God's family we belong to Him. All that we are and all that we have are His. Part of our family responsibility is to invest the resources He gives us for His purposes and for His glory. In the Bible God calls us to respond to Him in thankfulness by giving to and through our local church, where we are fed and nurtured, liberally and joyfully, generously and freely, and in proportion to our ability.

How much should I give?

In the Old Testament, God called His people to give 10% as their tithe. Additional freewill offerings were over and above this. In the New Testament, we are under grace not law, and therefore we should be motivated to give even more freely. How much you give is a matter for prayerful consideration between you and the Lord.

How can I give to Christ Church?

Banker's Order with Gift Aid

The most effective means to give to Christ Church is via a Banker's Order payment combined with a Gift Aid declaration. Whether you wish to give monthly, quarterly or annually, these commitments help us plan for the future development of our ministry as well as enable us to recover another 28% in tax relief for UK taxpayers. All you need to do to give in this way, is fill in our Banker's Order, sign it and place it in the collection. If possible please also complete a Gift Aid Declaration. We will do the rest - recording it, sending it to your bank, claiming any tax relief due under Gift Aid and once a year we will advise you of your total giving under Gift Aid. You can use this information to claim additional tax relief if you are eligible via the HMRC Self Assessment return.

Giving a Legacy to Christ Church

If you would like to leave Christ Church a gift in your Will, giving in this way is exempt from Inheritance Tax. We will be pleased to supply details of how this may be done easily whether or not you have already prepared your Will.

Via the Collection Plate

Of course, you can give in cash via the offertory each week. But, if you do pay tax of any sort, the Government is happy for you to direct the basic rate of income tax you have already paid to the charity concerned via Gift Aid. If you currently choose to give in cash and are a taxpayer, please consider using other Gift Aid mechanisms for your gift. If you pay tax at a rate higher than basic rate, further tax relief is available to you on your charitable donations, enabling you to give even more!

Gift Aid

Charities like Christ Church are able to reclaim basic rate tax (22%) on all donations we receive from you if you are a UK taxpayer. This equates to approximately 28% of the gift you give us out of your taxed income. So, for every £100 you give us using this scheme, we can claim back another £28 from the Government, at no cost to you. If you pay UK tax and have not already done so, please download and return the Gift Aid Declaration.

If you are a US/UK dual taxpayer, please be advised that Christ Church is registered with the CAF American Donor Fund enabling you too to give tax-efficiently claiming Gift Aid in the UK while still benefiting from a tax deduction in the US. Click here for more details.

Finance Challenge Leaflet

For a paper copy of the Pledge Sunday 2010 financial challenge leaflet click here.

Confidentiality

Only you, our Church Finance Team (Colin Rye, Rob Humphreys and Richard Snelling), our Gift Aid secretary (Ron Butler) and our Auditor will have access to information about how much and by what means you give. They, of course, will keep your pledge and giving confidential.

If you would like more information on financial stewardship at Christ Church, our Treasurer will be please to give you advice and answer any questions you have about our finances. You can send an email to him.

2009 Report and Accounts

Click here to view the audited Report and Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2009.

Christ Church, Virginia Water is a registered charity, number 1128275