Faith. Vision. Action. The St Paul’s Gift Day story.

Thanks to the generosity of the people of St Paul’s Church in Weston-super-Mare a Gift Day held at the church helped raise around £100,000. Revd Craig Philbrick, Vicar at St Paul’s explains, “We invited people to give toward the vision and mission of the church, to sow into where we’re going, not just what we need today.”
He says, it was about inviting people to respond to God’s call, “If we aren’t the most financially well-off, that’s okay. What we have is true community, an openness and a sharing of resources. It was about empowering people to see that every pound makes a difference. We have to trust that our vision and needs will be met if we humbly ask our congregations to journey with us.”

Craig also spoke about the vision behind the Gift Day. “The church is all of us. It’s not just the building. It’s what we do on Monday, and through the week, not just on Sunday. There are things we choose to pay for because they bless others. For example, we employ a children’s worker, Zoe, so she can bless 50 families at the toddlers’ group every Wednesday. It’s the church’s decision to fund that mission.”

Initially when they first thought about a Gift Day, the team at St Paul’s set a cautious goal. “We budgeted £25,000 because we were always trying to make the budget work. Then we decided to double it to £50,000 — just to see what would happen — and were amazed when it came in nearer £100,000.”

Craig says, planning was key. “We planned Gift Day months in advance but started talking about it six weeks out with a sermon series on money.  We consistently mentioned the goal, encouraged people to pray and plan their response, and made the ask clear.” The team also shared how the money would be used, “We have a £5 note on the giving page, cut into three or four pieces, showing what every £5 enables: whether that’s a food parcel, a toddler group session, or some other blessing.” 

To help people to consider what their contribution could be, members of the congregation were invited to fill out pledge cards. “We used pledge cards with a range of giving options and space for encouragement.  These were given out a week before and on Gift Day itself.  The offering was part of worship and communion — an offering to Jesus.”

The team at St Paul’s also encouraged people to talk about and share their stories so people could clearly see the different ways their giving is making an impact. Craig says, “People don’t always know where the money goes or where they are accessing what that money is paying for. We wanted to share that the church is for you. It was about saying this is what’s happening and this is because you stepped in and you gave.”