Parishes in our diocese can start planning their Generosity Week, thanks to new resources.
The Church of England’s Generosity Week runs from Sunday, September 29, to Sunday, October 6, but parishes can run a Generosity Week whenever it best suits them and their church.
Our Stewardship Team are here to help, and are ready to talk parishes through the resources available and help them with their plans.
The Generosity Week resources cover Sunday service materials, a small group study series, content for children and young people, as well as activities to engage with the community.
The week is book-ended by two Sunday services, and churches are encouraged to use the first Sunday to explore and celebrate generosity, and use the second Sunday to focus on gratitude.
There is plenty of guidance to help with service plans, including sermon notes, daily prayer and Eucharist services.
Holding an annual Generosity Week helps build a good rhythm for churches, as it gives congregations a chance to regularly learn about God’s generosity, and see how this shapes their church community.
It also provides an opportunity for them to think about how they give to the church, both financially, as well as with time and talents.
A practical way to encourage a review of financial giving is to launch (or relaunch) the Parish Giving Scheme as part of Generosity Week.
The Parish Giving Scheme is a free, regular giving service for all parishes across the Diocese of Leeds, providing a safe and secure way to give financially to the church.
It is very easy for new givers to set up their gift, both regular and one-off.
They can sign up online, and create an account to make it easy to manage and update their gift.
Givers can also complete a paper form, and post this to the PGS team, or even just give the PGS team a ring to set up a gift, or make any changes to their existing gift.
Click here to see how the PGS is working in different churches across the diocese, and hear how introducing it in your parish may benefit both your church, your treasurer and your givers.
For more detail on the PGS, and an explanation on how it works, watch our quick 10 minute recorded presentation here.
Find out more about Generosity Week 2024, and take a look through the resources here.
Get in touch with the Stewardship team at resourcingparishes@leeds.anglican.org.