Giving - Why Give

Here is some of what we read in the Bible about giving: 

‘All things come from you, Lord, and of your own do we give you.’ 1 Chronicles 29:14

‘You cannot serve both God and money.’ The words of Jesus in Luke 16:13

‘Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.’ 2 Corinthians 9:7 

A collection has been taken on Sundays since the earliest days of the church, as described in the New Testament, and a collection plate is available at St Andrew’s. These days, most of our regular congregation members give by standing order, making up their mind what to give according to their means. 

We give as a sign of our thankfulness to God, because all the good things we have come from God. We give because Jesus says we cannot serve both God and money – giving some of our money away helps us not to be too attached to money. And we give to support the day to day costs of our church, our worship and our ministry in the community – everything from buying communion wafers to financially supporting chaplaincy at The Taunton Academy. 

A large proportion of our giving goes to the Diocese of Bath & Wells as our Parish Share. This helps to fund stipends and housing for the clergy, so they can be available throughout the week and live in the heart of this community. It also helps to fund diocesan support services, such as the Safeguarding Department, the Education Department which supports local schools, and training for clergy and lay ministers. 

If you’d like a fuller picture of what the Bible says about giving, click here: 

https://www.bathandwells.org.uk/parish-support/christian-giving-and-funding/why-give/