Supporting gospel ministry in 2027
Everything we do at St Mary’s happens because of God’s generosity to us in Christ, expressed through his people.
As we look towards 2027, we are asking everyone who considers St Mary’s their church family to prayerfully review their regular giving.
Our first priority is to sustain the ministry we already have. To do that, the PCC and Christian Workers Trust together need an additional £72,000 a year in regular giving:
£19,000 for the PCC
£53,000 for the Christian Workers Trust
Shared across our church family, we believe this is achievable.
If you already give, could you continue or increase your giving as your circumstances allow? If you have not yet begun to give regularly, could you start?
Please respond by Sunday 25 October, even if your giving will stay the same.
Read moreGiving to St Mary's
St Mary’s ministry is supported by two separate charities working in partnership. The PCC funds our church ministry and mission, buildings and Common Mission Fund contribution. The Christian Workers Trust (CWT) funds the majority of our other staff costs and our support for mission partners beyond Basingstoke.
You can give to either or both.
Questions about giving?
You can find answers below to some common questions about Christian giving, Gift Aid, higher-rate tax relief, the Common Mission Fund and Ephesian Fund, leaving a gift in your will, and how the PCC and CWT work together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I give if I’m visiting or not a Christian?
No. We’re delighted you’re with us, but there is no expectation that visitors or those who are exploring the Christian faith should give. This appeal is for those who consider St Mary’s their church family.
How much should I give?
The Bible gives us principles rather than setting fixed amounts.
In the Old Testament, God’s people were to give tithes, including a tenth of their produce (for example, Leviticus 27:30). In the New Testament, the emphasis is on generous, willing and cheerful giving in response to God’s grace (2 Corinthians 8–9).
For many Christians, 10% of income can be a helpful guide or starting point, but it is not a rule or an expectation. Circumstances differ, and the New Testament encourages us to give according to what we have (2 Corinthians 8:12).
A helpful approach is to pray, decide deliberately what proportion of your income you will give, and review that decision regularly as your circumstances change.
Why are you asking everyone to review their giving this year?
Our first priority for 2027 is to sustain the ministry we already have.
Over the last two years, we have invested in expanding our staff team and have committed £40,000 a year to supporting mission partners beyond Basingstoke. At the same time, the PCC faces increased Common Mission Fund and other running costs.
Regular giving has not yet caught up with these commitments. Based on our current estimates, the PCC and CWT together need approximately £72,000 more in annual regular income to sustain our current ministry in 2027.
We are therefore asking everyone who considers St Mary’s their church family to review their giving—whether that means beginning to give, increasing their giving, continuing at the same level or, where circumstances require it, reducing it.
We gave generously towards the Associate Minister’s house. Why are we being asked to increase our giving now?
We are very grateful for the church family’s generosity towards the house appeal. Those one-off gifts provided housing for the Associate Minister. We also need regular giving to meet his ongoing ministry costs, funded through the PCC, and to sustain the wider staff team supported by CWT.
CWT deliberately drew on reserves to invest in additional staff, anticipating that over two to three years ministry would grow and regular giving would increase to support it. We now need that giving to catch up, so we can sustain the team we have while retaining sufficient reserves to meet our commitments.
Doesn’t the Church of England or the government fund St Mary’s?
No. St Mary’s receives no regular government funding for our day-to-day ministry, and our ministry is funded chiefly by the generosity of our own church family. The costs of our Rector and support services are provided by the diocese but these are offset by the money we pay to the diocese in its Common Mission Fund.
What is the Common Mission Fund?
The Common Mission Fund (CMF) is the contribution requested from parishes by the Diocese of Winchester.
It helps meet the costs of parish ministry, including clergy stipends, housing and pensions, as well as training and diocesan services such as safeguarding, HR and legal support.
See this video from the diocese for more.
For St Mary’s, our contribution first reflects the costs associated with providing our Rector and the support we receive from the Diocese. As a larger church, we are also able to contribute towards gospel ministry in other parishes.
Our requested CMF contribution is due to increase significantly in 2027, reflecting both growth in the size of our church and increases in clergy and housing costs.
Why has our Common Mission Fund contribution gone up so much?
Our requested Common Mission Fund contribution for 2027 has increased by around 11.8%.
There are two main reasons. First, our church has had growth in its attendance, with its worshipping community increasing by 6.8%. The Common Mission Fund system assumes that as congregations grow, their capacity to contribute towards the shared costs of ministry also grows.
Second, the cost of providing clergy ministry has increased. General Synod has agreed a significant increase in clergy stipends, alongside increased pension and other ministry costs. Around 5% of the increase in our contribution reflects these increased costs.
We are encouraged that St Mary’s has grown, and it is reasonable that a growing church should expect to contribute more. At the same time, the size of the increase is one of the reasons our PCC needs additional regular giving in 2027.
Why don't we simply pay less Common Mission Fund?
Common Mission Fund contributions are voluntary, so the PCC could choose to contribute less. However, we believe it is right that St Mary’s pays fairly towards the genuine costs of the ministry and support we receive, and that as a larger church we help support gospel ministry in parishes that cannot meet all their own ministry costs.
Our approach is therefore not to reduce our contribution, but to pay our Common Mission Fund through the Ephesian Fund.
This means that our contribution still supports ministry within the Diocese of Winchester, including our own ministry costs and appropriate central diocesan costs. However, where our giving goes beyond these costs, the Ephesian Fund requires the Diocese to allocate it only to qualifying churches whose minister and/or PCC endorses the Fund’s Basis of Faith and additional declarations.
This enables us both to contribute generously towards our shared diocesan costs and to have assurance about how the additional support our giving provides is used.
What difference does paying through the Ephesian Fund make?
St Mary’s now pays its whole Common Mission Fund contribution through the Ephesian Fund, rather than paying the Diocese directly.
The Ephesian Fund then works with the Diocese to ensure that our contribution is allocated in accordance with the Fund’s charitable purposes. Our own ministry costs can be credited against our contribution, together with reasonable central diocesan costs. Because St Mary’s contributes more than these costs, the remaining amount can only be used to support qualifying churches and ministries whose minister and/or PCC endorses the Ephesian Fund’s Basis of Faith and additional declarations.
The Ephesian Fund maintains an audit trail with the Diocese so that there is accountability for how these funds are allocated.
In this way, we can continue to contribute fully towards the shared costs of ministry in the Diocese, while ensuring that the additional support provided by St Mary’s giving is directed in a way consistent with our theological convictions.
Find out more about the Ephesian Fund
What is the difference between the PCC and the Christian Workers Trust?
They are two separate charities working together to support the ministry of St Mary’s.
The PCC funds our church ministry and mission, buildings and running costs, and our Common Mission Fund contribution to the Diocese.
The Christian Workers Trust (CWT) funds the majority of our other staff costs and our support for mission partners beyond Basingstoke.
Both therefore support our shared aim of knowing Jesus and making him known.
Should I give to the PCC, the CWT, or both?
You can give to either or both.
Many members of St Mary’s give regularly to both charities, while others choose to give to one. We need increased regular giving to both in 2027: approximately £19,000 additional annual income for the PCC and £53,000 for the CWT.
If you already give to both, it may be most helpful to consider your total giving to St Mary’s when deciding what you are able to give, before deciding how you would like to divide it.
Because the PCC and CWT are legally separate charities, donations, response forms and Gift Aid declarations must be administered separately.
What is Gift Aid?
If you are a UK taxpayer, Gift Aid normally allows a charity to claim an additional 25p for every £1 you give, at no additional cost to you.
For example, a £100 donation can be worth £125 to the charity.
You must have paid enough UK Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax to cover the Gift Aid claimed on all your charitable donations. If your tax circumstances change, please let us know.
Because the PCC and CWT are separate charities, you need a separate Gift Aid declaration for each charity you support.
I pay higher-rate tax. Can I claim additional tax relief?
Yes. If you pay Income Tax above the basic rate and make donations under Gift Aid, you can normally claim additional tax relief on your charitable giving.
The charity still claims the basic-rate Gift Aid in the usual way, but you can claim the difference between the rate you pay and the basic rate on the gross value of your donation.
This can be done through your Self Assessment tax return or, in some circumstances, by asking HMRC to amend your tax code.
Can I leave a gift to St Mary’s in my will?
Yes. Leaving a charitable gift in your will can be a valuable way of supporting gospel ministry beyond your lifetime.
You can leave a gift to the PCC, the Christian Workers Trust, or both. Because they are separate registered charities, your will should identify clearly which charity you intend to support.
We recommend taking appropriate legal advice when making or changing a will.
What if I can’t increase my giving?
That is absolutely fine. We know circumstances vary enormously.
For some people, increasing their giving will not be possible and some may need to reduce what they give. Others may be able to make a substantial increase.
We are not asking everyone for the same amount. We are asking everyone who considers St Mary’s their church family to prayerfully review their giving and respond so that the PCC and CWT can plan responsibly.
Why do you want a response if my giving isn’t changing?
Knowing what regular income we can reasonably expect is important when setting budgets and making commitments for the year ahead.
So even if you intend simply to continue giving at your current level, telling us that helps the PCC and CWT plan with greater confidence.
Who will know how much I give?
Individual giving is confidential. Only the giving administrator for the relevant charity will have access to individual giving information.
The PCC and CWT will receive and share appropriate overall figures for budgeting and planning, rather than details of what individual members of the church give.
