Thanksgiving is one of the most beloved holidays in the United States. Full of tradition and myth, many people now use the day to rest, take time to be with family and settle into the winter. It is also a celebration full of controversy as Americans grapple with the realities of history told through one lens.
The question now is, how is the heart and idea of giving thanks on this day honoured, whilst recognising that the legends surrounding Thanksgiving have been white-washed and simplified to negate some of the true horrors of time?
The space in my diary has created time and energy to think differently about this year and how to share that good news of Jesus coming amongst us. Our front doors may be closed but we can think imaginatively about how to be generous, to bless our neighbours and to give in this extraordinary time.
Before lockdown, writer and stand-up comedian Paul Kerensa spent a lot more of his time sitting down than standing up. Zigzagging across the country via innumerable motorway service stations, he performed in venues UK-wide.
We've added a brand-new feature to the new-look Stewardship Giving Account to help you better manage your account on the new platform.
Based on requests we have received, we have created an additional Gift Aid tab to enable you to easily access and download the amounts you have given to us, where we have claimed Gift Aid.
“When you work in accounts or IT, you can’t really raise support very well. People want to give to those on the frontline of mission and if you’re in a third world country, all the better.”
If you’ve been familiar with support raising for any length of time, you will have heard this sentiment before. Maybe this is you? If you work for a charity doing evangelism or prison work or youth work you find that everyone wants to give to the worker on the coal face, but because you work in HR it’s so much harder to find supporters.
On 28 October 2019, there was a terrible road accident in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. A Rocha CEO Chris Naylor and his wife Suzanna were killed, along with Miranda Harris, one of A Rocha’s founders. Her husband Peter was critically injured and a year on continues the slow journey of recovery and grief.
"Ugh, you’re not going to tell us we should give our money to the church?” said the guest at our newcomers’ dinner as he tucked into his second helping of apple pie and ice cream. His features tussled between the sweet delight of dessert and the unsavoury thought of tithing.
Tithing is the Jewish/Christian tradition of giving back to God the ‘first fruits’ of our income or profit as a happy act of worship. It is usually calculated as 10% (tithe comes from an old English word for tenth) and is given to your local church. Sometimes we mistakenly think of tithing as something which it is not.
Our world is changing rapidly, with new rules for how we live, work, and socialise in a state of flux across the nation. Whilst many grasped the gravity of COVID-19 months ago, few anticipated the breadth of change we are now all living through.
Based in Glasgow, which has one of the highest numbers of drug-related deaths in the UK, Street Connect offers support to those struggling with homelessness, mental health issues, addiction, poverty and trauma of all kinds.
As many of you will know, the current ‘Exception from Registration Regulations’ that mean that some churches are not legally required to register as a charity with the Charity Commission. These regulations are due to come to an end on 31 March 2021. In general, churches are legally required to register with the Charity Commission when their gross income exceeds £5,000 unless they fall within the excepting regulations, in which case, the gross income limit is increased to £100,000.
blogs by the Stewardship team and selected guest writers.
Stewardship is the operating name of Stewardship Services (UKET) Limited. Established in 1906.
Registered charity no. 234714, and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England no. 90305.
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