St Peter's Church relies entirely upon God’s
provision through the generosity of the church family to enable our various
ministries. We’re grateful that God has faithfully provided all we’ve needed
financially as we have grown.
The Bible has a great deal to say about money, our
attitude to it and what we do with it. In the New Testament, St Paul
writes “Each of you should give what he has decided in
his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion.” (2 Corinthians 9:7). In raising
the subject of money we don’t want to burden or compel people.
As Christians, we know God’s generosity to us in
Jesus who ‘though he was rich, yet for [our] sake he
became poor, so that [we] through his poverty might become rich.’ (2 Corinthians 8:9). Any financial
giving ought to come from hearts transformed by God’s generosity, not by guilt
or any efforts to earn something from God. For that reason, we don’t ask
visitors to contribute financially to life at St Peter's.
As with every other area of our discipleship, we encourage members of St
Peter's Church to be deliberate and prayerful when it comes to their financial giving. For most
people that will mean prayerfully reviewing their giving at least once each
year.
We do ask those who are new to our church or who
are not currently participating, to start giving. We do need the help of
everyone - even if you are not certain how long you can stay with our church -
in order for us to maintain and grow our gospel ministries here and around the
world. Financially supporting our local church is an important and
enjoyable way to express our gratitude to God for our Saviour. It is a
privilege - let's rejoice in it!
To help us think through our giving, we recommend
John Stott’s short booklet ‘The Grace of Giving’. If you would like a
copy or further information about the finances at St Peter's Church, please
contact our treasurer by