Activating generosity across the Diocese

At the recent Clergy Conference, the diocesan stewardship team launched a Boomerang offering, to help activate generosity across the Diocese. Each person was given a £5 note to take home, pray with and see what act of generosity God was calling them towards.

We also asked them to share their stories of how the money was used – here are our first examples:

One member of the clergy used the £5 to buy some colourful wool, with which his wife knitted several pumpkins. They then sold the pumpkins, raising £80 that they gave to the charity, Mind.

Another person blessed a local allotment neighbour with a bag of compost. The neighbour is a carer and also spends time with all the new allotment holders to give them help and advice, so this was a special thank you for them.

A further person used the money to buy toiletries for a local family they support who have recently arrived from Ukraine.

Finally, one priest used the £5 in their talk at a harvest service to highlight the importance of having an open hand to receive. The £5 could only be given from an open hand and not a clenched fist. It was passed to one of the children present who spent it at a Macmillan coffee morning.

“We often worry that the thing we can give will only be a drop in the ocean, but as Christians we believe that we are all called to play our part in building a Kingdom People. There is a wonderful idea from India, where cash-poor congregations put aside a handful of rice for Jesus whenever they cook. The churches collect this rice and sell it, making millions of pounds a year. This shows that while we might feel we can only make a small impact, together as church congregations we can change the world. Using initiatives like the Boomerang offering idea used at the Clergy Conference, helps explain that impact and activate stories of generosity in our congregations.”

Chris Ottershaw, Parish Resources Officer

Helping people to understand the impact of their donations is very important. A recent survey of Anglicans, showed that 70% of regular givers and 51% of occasional givers would increase the gift they give to their church if they better understood the impact of their donations. Explaining the impact of donations and telling the good news stories that come from our generous givers helps to increase the trust between our congregations and their church.

If you have any stories of generosity that you would like to share to help inspire others, or you’d like to let us know what you did with your £5 boomerang offering, please do let Robyn Rooney know: rrooney@cofe-worcester.org.uk.