Diocese of York / News & events / News

At first it seemed like just another envelope on the desk of diocesan Generous Giving Advisor Phil McBride as he returned from his annual leave.

Stamped the 29th of August, it only contained two pieces of paper but the application form and paying in slip from All Hallows Church in Walkington (East Riding) marked a significant milestone – it was the 100th church to sign up to The Parish Giving Scheme (PGS) in the Diocese of York.

Phil was thrilled with the progress of signups. “To get 100 of the nearly 600 churches in the Diocese of York now benefitting from the many advantages PGS offers is really encouraging” he said.

“Churches not only have the positive conversations about generous giving by signing up, but also, PGS has added incentives such as claiming Gift Aid for your treasurer, and also offering one-off payments so churches can use the QR codes on literature for visitors.”

“The Parish Giving Scheme is processing almost 1000 donations a month in the Diocese of York, with an average weekly gift of £19.95 (before Gift Aid)” he continued.

“These gifts are received in full by the local church, with Gift Aid added, and will enable churches to be more generous in their Mission; coupled with the fact that half of these givers have signed up to increase their gift annually then the churches can be more confident in budgeting.”