A new collection of resource material to help parishes explore giving and generosity has been launched by the Generous Giving team.
Following the theme of ‘First Fruits’, the resources will guide your PCC and your parish in exploring themes of generosity with your whole church community. The material helps to explore giving the very best that we can offer in its broadest sense, in response to God’s generosity to us.
Generous Giving Adviser Sammi Tooze (pictured), who has produced the material, says, “The practicalities of ‘First Fruits’ have changed over the centuries.
“In the Old Testament, First Fruits were literally the first portion of the harvest, given to God as an expression of trust and thanksgiving.
“Today, many of us do not literally harvest produce from the ground, but the spiritual element of First Fruits is as relevant to us today as it was to the Israelites.
“We are invited to give the very best we can offer – that is our First Fruits, in whatever form that takes.
“We are called for that giving to be a priority, and carried out as an act of grace. Then it becomes a joy to give, and an act which enables us to grow more into the likeness of Christ.
“This material covers most corners of encounter – private prayer and reflection, collective worship, and in conversation through small groups.”
The collection includes liturgies, a PCC guide, a small group discussion guide, a prayer station, prayer cards and reflections.
The resources are designed mostly to be used within Giving Programmes, to help enable people to be more deeply engaged when reflecting on why we give to our churches, and what that might look like in our own lives.
- Hard copies of the resources are available for parishes – copies of the small group guide are 50p each, whilst everything else is free of charge. The full collection of resources can be downloaded on the Generous Giving pages. If you would like a collection of hard copies, please contact Sammi Tooze at sammi.tooze@yorkdiocese.org or 07930 424280.