A conventional church gets its income from the money its congregation donates. (European visitors are often surprised Church of England churches get no money from the state, unlike in Germany or Scandinavia, for example.) Many churches raise a little extra through letting their parish hall or holding a summer fête, or use occasions such as a harvest supper to raise funds in the wider neighbourhood. For a congregation, giving is a gesture of gratitude in return for all that God has given us. It echoes the Old Testament practice of tithing – giving the first 10% of our produce or earnings in thankfulness and for the upbuilding of our community.
St Martin’s, as in so many things, is a bit different from a regular church. We raise money from three additional sources. (1) Our commercial enterprise runs two cafés, an events business, a shop and an extensive concerts programme. Currently almost all its profits go directly to the upkeep of the site, but in normal times it makes a substantial surplus goes to the church’s ministry and outreach. (2) St Martin’s Trust applies for grants for trusts and foundations for programmes like the Choral Scholars and initiatives like the Being With project. (3) The Trust also works with individual donors, those who make a regular gift, any who leave legacies in their will, and more wealthy philanthropists. The breadth of this range of income sources has enabled St Martin’s to survive the perilous period when the company’s profits were wiped out and to plan for a rosier period as it begins to return to a level of profitability that can support the ministry and mission as before.
But despite these other income sources, congregational giving still matters. It matters because gratitude, and the solidarity that results from shared commitment, form the bedrock of our church community. And it matters because St Martin’s wants to continue to be at the heart and on the edge, and this will always cost more money than we really have, and we need every penny.
St Martin’s continues to be a community in which amazing things happen every day. We have the Holy Spirit to thank for that. We also have fantastic staff and volunteers. But once a year, each September, we reflect on our individual giving and ask ourselves if it truly does justice to how much our faith and community mean to us. Now is that time.
Revd Dr Sam Wells
