Dear Members, Supporters and Friends,
As a Stewardship Team, we wanted to begin with a big ‘thank you’ for all that you currently do to support the full life, mission and purpose of Leyland Methodist Church.
During this last year, we have wonderfully celebrated the 150th Anniversary of Leyland Methodist Schools and Church on our current Turpin Green site. Over that 150 years we have seen the growth and development of our Leyland Methodist Schools, and the ongoing work and witness of LMC.
In particular, during the last year, we have enjoyed:
– successful events marking our special 150th anniversary : Ceilidh, Carols and Comedians, Doug Horley Kids Circus outreach event, Simeon Wood in concert, Afternoon Tea and Exhibition for all involved in the life of Leyland Methodist Schools, Open Air worship on Anniversary Sunday, with the President of the Methodist Conference, Loraine Mellor, and a very special ‘Marriage Renewal’ event, attended by many couples who had had their weddings at LMC over the years
– we celebrated 100 years of Guiding at Leyland Methodist Church
– we enjoyed two amazing Music and Drama / Mad Mob productions : ‘Wind in the Willows’ and ‘Inheritance’, playing to many sell-out audiences
– we have employed a new Centre Manager, Matt, and Cleaner, Paul, who are doing a great job, providing well for the more than 1,000 people who come through our premises each week
– we saw many children come to faith, renew their faith, and open up their lives to Jesus through our Holiday Bible Club 2018, ‘150 : Celebrating, Building, Sharing’
– there have been a growing number of people in worship across our three Sunday services, and at our monthly Messy Church events, and we had the best attended Christmas celebrations in recent years; we have also held more renewal of baptisms, responding to the renewal of faith for individuals
– our growing support and involvement with Food Bank, CAP (Christians Against Poverty) and Acts 435 (our charity for the special anniversary year), impacting lives locally
And there’s so much more which we have to be thankful for and to celebrate, and it is all your involvement, commitment and support which makes all of this possible
Over the coming weeks, in our worship times together on Sundays in March, we are exploring the call to stewardship giving, of our time, our talents and our treasures – Why do we give (10th March), What should we give (17th March) and when / how should we give (24th March)?
To assist us, during these services, various members of the Stewardship Team 2019 will present aspects of the challenges before us, and will help us think and pray through how we might individually respond.
Stewardship has been a vital part of the life of Leyland Methodist Church for nearly 60 years, and still today, it enables us to regularly review how each of us commits involvement to further Jesus’s mission and ministry here in Leyland.
The Stewardship pack you are receiving, today, has all the information you need to begin to consider your response.
Are you giving of your ‘time’ in a way that is fulfilling for you? Are there new / other ways God may be calling you to serve Him through the church and in the world?
Are you using your ‘talents’ in a way which honours the God who has given them to you? Are there different ways you could look at offering your gifts, experience and strengths in building God’s kingdom, extending the life of the church into our community, making and growing new disciples for Jesus?
Is your giving of ‘treasure / money / tithes’ honouring to God.
(‘Tithing’ is the biblical guidance on giving throughout the Old and much of the New Testament, whereby at least the first tenth of all ‘income’ received (money, produce etc.) is God’s and is returned back to Him via the temple / church to build the work of mission and ministry there).
There is a leaflet in the Stewardship Pack, which outlines a number of ways in which you might consider using your ‘time’ and ‘talents’ to be part of what we believe God is building and developing through LMC at this time.
There are also forms in the Pack, to help you think through your ‘treasure’ and the financial contribution you are able to make towards the increasing costs over the coming years.
If you are not currently giving in a regular way, perhaps monthly, then please would you consider doing so – whatever you are able to find you can give will contribute towards fulfilling the vision we have at LMC to ‘link lives through Jesus’, to share God’s love and grace with everyone in Leyland and beyond. We are asking for everyone to consider increasing their giving by, on average, £2.59 per week, or £10.36 per month, to help us cover some of the substantial work required in the coming months and years on our premises and for our mission and outreach.
We invite you to respond by Sunday 31st March, in order that we can plan our future. There is a response box in the church foyer for your printed replies, or you can return your responses electronically (pledge form to Bryan Noon and Gift Aid form to Yvonne Taylor, contact details below). If you would like a conversation with anyone from the Stewardship Team, related to your giving of time, talents or money, please do make contact with us – we would be very keen to meet with you and to discuss your situation, and to pray with you. Contact details for some of the team are printed at the end of this letter.
Rev’d Phil Gough (on behalf of Leyland Methodist Church Stewardship Team)
‘Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.’ 2 Corinthians 9 v. 7