SHARE the stewardship magazine | issue 2 5
WITH OPEN EYES Isik Abla talks about religion, violence and being saved by God
transforming generosity
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about us We are Stewardship, a charity that effectively releases resources to support individuals, charities and organisations worldwide. Our mission is to enable you to live and give generously, advancing God’s Kingdom. We believe that generosity is transformational, for the giver and for the receiver. Our work inspires and supports a generous resourcing community, with transformational results. We are delighted to partner with you in your journey of generosity. contact us PO Box 99, Loughton, Essex, IG10 3QJ 020 8502 5600 enquiries@stewardship.org.uk stewardship.org.uk You can contact the editor by emailing editor@stewardship.org.uk Editor: Craig Borlase Design: adeptdesign.co.uk Stewardship is the operating name of Stewardship Services (UKET) Limited, a registered charity in England and Wales no. 234714 and a company limited by guarantee no. 90305
editorial In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The Lord opened my eyes 25 years ago this month. The process of being ‘born again’ into new life was, I suppose, not unlike childbirth; pain followed by indescribable joy. I recall the pain of knowing my family would be unhappy at the news. They were. After twenty five years many remain unhappy, but they still love me and we still gather for meals, holidays and family celebrations. For other believers, however, the moment of coming to faith means losing everything. They lose their spouse, their children, their family, sometimes their entire community. In extreme circumstances some lose their very lives. I met Isik Abla years ago. She is a remarkable woman who has, in Christ, overcome extraordinary challenges. Today she shares the Gospel with thousands of women from Muslim backgrounds. While she must work from an undisclosed location to avoid being killed, she refuses to be silenced. In the UK we don’t face death for sharing the Gospel. Perhaps in some environments we face hostility, even ridicule, but not death. Yet if we truly believe John 14:6, can we remain silent? Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, speaking at the dedication ceremony for the new offices of the Evangelical Alliance, said the Lord gives us far more grace than we can consume, and the result is that grace overflows for those around us. Isik overflows like a flood. So does Justin. Do I? Do you? Let’s open our eyes and our minds, our hearts, mouths and even our taxi cabs, and allow grace to overflow. Michael O’Neill, CEO Stewardship
Like what you read? Use your Stewardship account to lend your support 3
news in brief extra-extra time The YFC football team beat the world record for continuous football playing at the beginning of May, playing non-stop for an amazing 48 hours. Communications Director Robin Fletcher says: “It was an immensely successful event. Overall, we lost about three sets of toenails between the team, and any amount of weight. Stewardship supported us amazingly through give.net.” YFC raised over £52,000, much of it donated through give.net. You can view the final moments of this sporting marathon by visiting bit.ly/14AytIW
man-handling Traditionally, toddler groups are populated almost exclusively by mums and female carers, but since it began in 2003, Who Let The Dads Out has put fathers firmly on the map. With a vision of supporting fathers and children through their church communities, the organisation targets dads and male carers by resourcing groups where they can feel at home with their children. You can find out more about this brilliant way of demonstrating God’s love of family by visiting wholetthedadsout.org 4
features
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flesh, blood and generosity
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money ministers update
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head to head
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seeing Advent through different eyes
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Isik Abla: a story of redemption
free for all As a self-confessed group of grumpy old men, the founders of FreeBibleimages had no idea that they would go on to become winners of the 2012 Christian New Media People’s Choice Award. Their innovative website offers free downloadable sets of Bible story images for anyone who needs them. Find out more at: freebibleimages.com
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fare’s fair
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legal and financial roundup
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OUR CHURCH
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consultancy helpline
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stewardship course update The magazine is printed on paper from farmed forests: for each tree felled, another is planted. The paper is chlorine-free and environmentally friendly.
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BREATHING 6
STEWARDSHIP IN ACTION Oli Lewington is 31 years old. He’s been in and out of hospital all his life, has learned to accept a life-limiting condition and stared death in the face. Yet something amazing happened to him in 2007. This is his story. “As a child, my life wasn’t that different to anyone else’s. I was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) at eighteen months old, but my parents didn’t wrap me up in cotton wool – they wanted me to enjoy the life I had. Things got more difficult in my teens. I couldn’t escape the fact that I was skinny, often ill and couldn’t do a lot of the things my peers were doing.”
I remember telling my parents how bad I felt that I’d given up on God when he never gave up on me.
SPACE Ruth Leigh meets a beneficiary – and a supporter – of blood and organ donation.
Life went on for Oli, but just after Christmas in 2005, his health suddenly got worse. “You get used to peaks and troughs with CF,” explains Oli, “but my specialist care team told me that I had a life expectancy of less than two years. At that point, I agreed to go on the organ transplant list.” Oli was clear-sighted about the risks involved in such major surgery. “Transplants aren’t for everyone, but to me it was a no-brainer. I was happy with gaining another six months of life to spend with my family.” Oli had to wait for nearly two years for his lung transplant. Did he ever lose hope? “Just once, the day before my transplant. The blog I wrote that day, 19th November 2007, contains nothing positive at all. It’s hopeless. Why that should be I’m not quite sure – perhaps I had to reach rock bottom in order to start to rise again.”
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Oli’s faith helped him through difficult times, but he admits that it was affected while he waited for his transplant. “I prayed so hard for healing but began to feel that God had left me behind. The day after my transplant, I remember telling my parents how bad I felt that I’d given up on God when he never gave up on me.” Oli is a big fan of fleshandblood, the campaign launched to encourage the church to include blood and organ donation as part of its giving. “I love fleshandblood!” Oli enthuses. “It’s a transformational campaign. When they got in touch with me, I leapt at the chance to be involved. They’re sending a powerful message to the UK’s religious communities. Giving isn’t just about tithing and money. Giving someone the gift of life after you die is miraculous.”
How can people get involved? “Signing up to the NHS Organ Donor Register is the easiest thing in the world. You spend two minutes at your computer and you could save seven people. What an amazing legacy to leave once you’re gone!” Oli sees huge potential in the organ donation stats. “96% of the population support the idea of organ donation and the same number would be happy to receive one, but only 31% are signed up to the NHS Organ Donor Register. I’d love to reach that 65% in the middle who are pro the idea but who haven’t got round to signing up. It’s vital to tell someone when you do make that decision – if your loved ones don’t know your wishes, your organs may not be donated.”
Giving isn’t just about tithing and money. Giving someone the gift of life after you die is miraculous. Give.net, Stewardship’s new fundraising service, is pleased to sponsor the fleshandblood campaign, which is gathering huge support amongst the whole of the UK church community. At the time of going to press, the Church in Wales, the Church of England, the Methodist Church, the Baptist Union, the Salvation Army, the United Reformed Church, the Church of Scotland, the Seventh Day Adventists, Hope and the Evangelical Alliance are all supporting it. To sign up to the Organ Donation Register, visit: fleshandblood.org/register Read Oli’s blog at olilewington.co.uk 8
MONEY MINISTERS UPDATE
when leaders need help Anyone can struggle with their finances and fall into debt, and those who lead churches are no different. Yet the truth is not quite as simple. As a pastor of nearly twenty years, Dave* knows all about the financial pressures in ministry and how lonely debt can make you feel. He knows how hard it is to admit the need for help, especially when there is an expectation that, as a leader, you should be able to manage yourself. “Living in the goldfish bowl of the gaze of the parish and congregation has meant our family has walked the tightrope of wanting to keep things nice, without wanting to appear too flush with cash – which we certainly never were,” he says. “I think we took our eyes off the goal, and ultimately away from our Lord as we allowed our debts to mount for the sake of keeping up appearances; furnishing the house, setting the tone for the church giving and seeing the children didn’t go without.” Dave struggled to balance the needs of his family with the expectations that he felt as a church leader. Over time, credit card bills grew to the point where they needed to take out a consolidation loan. “We then got into a pattern of needing to refinance the consolidation loans we’d taken out.”
Eventually, unable to keep up with the monthly repayments, Dave decided it was time to seek help. “This was the point where we turned, reluctantly, ashamedly, to Christians Against Poverty for help and assistance.” He called CAP Money Ministers, a team of debt counsellors dedicated to helping ministers in financial difficulties. “It gave my wife and me a confidence that here was an organisation that would understand our plight.” Life now, one year on, is quite different for Dave and his family. “We are taking hold of the responsibilities we have to our creditors, and it feels good to be making inroads into that debt,” he says. “Our contact person at CAP has become a pastor to us, one whom we have trusted in the most difficult time of our lives to help us through, and who is still there looking out for our finances and caring for our family. “The release of our financial burden isn’t yet complete, but the emotional burdens are much diminished. We can testify to the incredible ministry of Christians Against Poverty.” *Not his real name.
CAP Money Ministers is a FREE confidential debt advice service for church leaders, provided by Christians Against Poverty and supported by Stewardship. Visit capmoneycourse.org/ministers to find out more. 9
head to head ntly started working in Alan and Jane Hutt rece ving their three grown-up South West Uganda, lea . How did they respond? children back in the UK How did you feel about the move from Suffolk to Uganda?
What have been your greatest challenges?
What’s the impact been on you as a family?
Do you see life differently now?
Alan and Jane
We’d felt God calling us to Africa since first coming to Christ in 2007. We came out to Uganda twice on short term mission. To be honest, neither of us really wanted to make the move out here as it seemed so daunting, but the call of God was so clear that we just felt that we had to be obedient. We were excited about what the Lord would do, and about the work in which we would be involved, but also we were nervous about all the changes. Leaving our children in the UK has been the greatest challenge. We really miss the way that at home we were able to engage with the Holy Spirit due to the familiarity of the way of worshipping. Here the style of worship and praise is very different and most often in the local Rukiga language. Our eldest daughter Mckenna has had to become “mum” of the household, and this has made a huge difference to her, sacrificially. We know that both Mckenna and Sam would much rather we had stayed at home, but knew that we were following God’s call, and so were willing for us to “fly the nest”!
We certainly do! Our security guard works a 12 hour shift, earns around £39 a month, and out of that pays his own rent, his own college fees, supports his elderly mother and pays for three orphaned nephews and nieces to go through school. It’s impossible to look at him and not realise how we waste money in the West.
To find out more about Alan and Jane’s work in Uganda, you can visit their website: www.parting-seas.co.uk or look at their Facebook page. 10
Mckenna: 23
Christie-Lee: 21
Sam: 19
I felt mixed about the move – scared for them, sad, but also excited that they were starting a new chapter of their lives.
My parents have gone against the path most people choose to follow and for that I am extremely proud of them.
It was strange knowing that my parents were going to be living thousands of miles away, but to be honest we all had a long time to get used to the idea. Having said that, it’s still very strange at times!
There have been many challenges but the biggest to overcome is not being able to see them after what has been a rollercoaster of emotions.
My greatest challenge has been the distance between me and my parents.
Taking care of things myself has been tough. Although mum and dad are still there to support me, they are a bit far to ask for help all the time.
The biggest impact on my family has been the miles in between us and the difficulty of communication.
One of the greatest impacts my parents’ move to Uganda has had is on my prayer life. It has become vital to me that I pray for my parents’ protection regularly, meaning that through their move I have drawn closer to God by relying on Him to ensure my parents are well.
The whole family has had to adjust to the situation, but I’d say the impact has been limited by technology and the ability to still talk to each other most days.
I understand the world a lot more now, and hope to pass this knowledge on to others through the work of my parents.
I see that when you become a Christian God changes the path of your life. If my family hadn’t come to know God we would be in a very different place today, but since becoming Christians my parents and I have felt a strong calling to Africa.
It’s been a time of change for all of us, especially mum and dad, but life is all about changing and adapting.
Parting Seas
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with open eyes For many Western Christians, Muslim women appear to inhabit a different world. Hidden behind veils, oppressed by both religion and politics, they seem out of reach. Yet the story does not end there...
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Isik Abla knows what it is like to witness the effects of a father’s repeated infidelity, to see her mother’s hopelessness evolve into depression and to feel the pain burst upon her own flesh as her mother’s anger, sorrow and frustration was turned towards her. And while such domestic problems are in no way limited to Muslim families, for Isik, the dysfunction and torment was made even more complicated by her religious background. Born and bred in Turkey, at first, it seemed that Islam might offer some relief. “From the age of seven, I started going to the mosque, sometimes praying five times a day, fasting during the month of Ramadan; I hoped Islam would change me.” But while life at home only grew worse, Isik found that the relief offered by her religion was limited. Islam’s acceptance was conditional and, unwittingly, Isik found herself in a position that is familiar to many Muslims today. “I felt that I was nothing, that I was worthless. I could only be good enough for Allah if I was prepared to die for him.” 18
For the first time in my life I prayed not in Arabic, but in Turkish – my own tongue. ‘Help me! Help me, God!’
Without knowing it, Isik was on the way to becoming the object of so much Western fear: the radical Muslim. “I wanted to die – and to kill – for Allah. I wanted to be used in Jihad. When I read an article about missionaries who were converting Muslims to Christianity, I called the magazine to find out where they were so that I could kill them.” Thankfully, her plans never went further than that. Married at 19, her journey towards radicalism was accelerated by the influence of her husband. “He was my soulmate – as fanatical as I was – and his family even more so.” But after three months the physical abuse began. He told her that he was following the Koran’s instructions, that he needed to discipline her. “He beat me – sometimes every day – and I accepted it. He would kick me on the floor, spit on me and call me names. And when he apologised, it almost made it right.” The cycle of violence increased at the same time as Isik began to see what life was like outside her cultural bubble. Having studied business administration, her work took her to Germany and other European countries. “I started seeing how men treated women, and it was an eye-opener for me. But in my heart I was still a Muslim woman.” That loyalty was finally tested to breaking point the night her husband held a knife to her throat and told her to jump from the balcony of the eighth floor apartment they were in. Only by lying prostrate on the floor, grabbing his ankles and begging him, did she manage to change his mind. The next day she bought a one-way ticket to the USA. Months later, after a successful struggle to obtain a visa, Isik arrived in Florida. “I felt guilty about leaving my husband, but I didn’t believe that the Koran gave him the right to kill me. Still, I never questioned my faith; I just assumed that it was all my fault, that Allah hated me and that I still had to be a good woman to gain his approval.”
The combination of guilt and condemnation led Isik into a deep depression. She married a man who – when sober – treated her well. When he was drunk or high, however, it was a different story – one that was painfully familiar. “We married and had a child, but things were getting worse. New Year’s Eve 2000, we were going to a family dinner. He was driving, but was drunk and high and weaving all over the road. He pulled over, and I thought we were going to switch places, but after he had pushed me out of the car, he drove off. I was left alone, weeping, all dressed up in a miniskirt. Cars were stopping, their drivers thinking I was a prostitute. For the first time in my life I prayed not in Arabic, but in Turkish – my own tongue. ‘Help me! Help me, God!’” That moment a car stopped. “I walked over, praying that it was a woman. I saw that it was and she asked what happened. I explained a little, and she told me she was going to a family dinner herself and that she would give me a lift home. She was very sweet, but I didn’t get it. I felt like a beaten up dog, ready for one more kick, and there she was being kind. Why? Why did she want to help me?” “What would Jesus do?” she said. “God sent me to pick you up. He has plans for your life.” Over the coming weeks, Isik went from being someone whose only previous encounter with the message of the Gospel had been Les Miserables, to seeing the first shoots of Christian faith grow within her. Over the coming months she joined a church and fell on her face, weeping, whenever she heard Amazing Grace or Great Is Thy Faithfulness. She slowly started to understand that while she had nothing to offer God but her devotion, that was enough. She prayed and God spoke: “You give me your nothing, and I will make it more than you can ever imagine.” 19
We need to put a hand on their shoulder and say ‘I love you and God loves you’
Years later, Isik Abla’s name is familiar throughout the Muslim world. Her TV programme is broadcast on Turkish and Farsi channels throughout the Middle East, and her message of Christ’s love and acceptance is introducing hundreds of thousands of Muslim women – and men – to the Gospel. The way Isik sees it, Muslim women and their communities are not off-limits to Western churches. Rather, they represent an incredible opportunity.
“Churches can engage with Muslims, and they should. They need to be careful not to focus on how many they convert, but to show the love of the Lord and offer to help. It might be frightening to reach out, and Muslim women might retreat in fear – like me on that New Year’s Eve they will question the motives that lie behind the love – but when they see genuine love, it will move them.”
Much to the surprise of many Christians in the UK, change is coming to Muslim communities. “I have so many testimonies of women raped “Behind every veil there is a hurting soul. by their immediate family members, who Even the one who is a fanatical Muslim, who may say they are happy to live and die a Muslim have started to follow Jesus and now attend underground churches in the Middle East. Those – I believe something within them is starving churches are growing, thriving.” and craving. We need to put a hand on their shoulder and say ‘I love you and God loves you.’ If it can happen there, why not here?
isikabla.com
facebook.com/isikablatv
If you want to read more of Isik’s testimony, I Dreamed Freedom is available from Amazon. 20
how can Churches make better connections with Muslims? Steve Bell and Lavinia Phillips have both helped British churches bridge the divide. We asked them for their top tips on how to do it.
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Be genuinely interested
Friendship is a foundational principle for outreach. “If you develop relationship and trust with Muslim people, then you’ve earned the right to speak and be heard,” says Steve. Knowing the significance of Muslim festivals can also help, Lavinia explains: “At the start of Ramadan, for example, you can open up discussions about God’s love – about the difference between grace and earning favour.”
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Discover the needs of the community
Needs can be practical, emotional or spiritual. “Serve them,” Lavinia says. “Advise them, pray for them – people are usually appreciative of prayer.” Steve explains that many Muslim women suffer from loneliness and isolation due to language barriers: “Their lack of English is like a double prison; trapping them at home and leading them to only communicate with the outside world via their children. Churches that put on ESL (English as a second language) courses and homework clubs can immediately access their local Muslim community.”
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Recognise customs and cultural differences
Lavinia and Steve offer these simple tips to ensure outreach is respectful: “Encourage men to minister to men, and make an effort to understand Muslim women’s position. When discussing gender equality, try to get the scriptural balance right. The theology of headship has to be delivered alongside the responsibility of love and respect that husband and wife have towards each other.” Steve also recommends “adopting modesty in dress and behaviour, showing respect for the Bible as a holy book and fostering the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, meditation, simplicity and giving in your church.”
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Educate your church
Steve has co-authored a course for churches entitled Friendship First. “It’s a six-session course designed to help ordinary Christians to relate to Muslims as people. You don’t need prior knowledge of the subject and it can be run in church home groups or larger seminar settings.” To purchase the Friendship First course, visit kitab.org.uk
Steve Bell (graceformuslims.org/blog) has spent 38 years communicating the Gospel to Muslims. He lived in Egypt for ten years before joining Interserve, where he has spent the last six years as National Director.
Lavinia Phillips is part of SLIC Southampton, where she works for the church alongside Muslim women. 21
legal & financial roundup Kevin Russell explores what’s new and noteworthy
Gift Aid claims, the new regime: are you ready?
New charity accounting standard (SORP)
A reminder to readers that HMRC will no longer accept the Gift Aid claim form R68i, in use until September 2013. Instead, charities must claim online or order a new paper claim form (ChR1). Our advice is to use the online method as it will ultimately prove to be far more efficient and your claim will be paid sooner. Details from bit.ly/183TJW7
The Charities SORP, which has force of law for many charities, has been re-written and a new draft published. This represents a hugely significant change for many charities in how they report their activities and financial performance. There is an opportunity to respond to the Exposure Draft and our blog includes a link to a specially written article from a member of the SORP committee explaining the changes, and how to have your say: bit.ly/15j1XH4
Charity Commission Guidance – Managing Conflicts of Interest Our Independent Examinations Team often see conflicts of interest in the charities that they are working with. We therefore welcome the Charity Commission’s recently updated draft guidance on Managing Conflicts of Interest (bit.ly/11FM6Fs). Providing practical steps to help trustees avoid the harmful effects of unmanaged conflicts of interest, it recognises that conflicts of interest affect 24
charities of all types and sizes, and that the existence of a conflict does not necessarily reflect on the integrity of the affected trustee. Nevertheless, the Commission emphasise that trustees must take steps to prevent conflicts of interest from affecting their decision-making by identifying, effectively managing and formally recording any conflicts which arise.
Charity Commission Northern Ireland
New and recent Briefing Papers
Key provisions of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 came into operation on 24 June 2013 enabling the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (‘CCNI’) to start registering Northern Irish charities, at last. Registration is compulsory for all charities operating in Northern Ireland and the process will commence, on a phased basis, from late 2013. A few charities have already been registered as part of CCNI’s pilot phase.
You can check out all of our free briefing papers via stewardship.org.uk/resources/ briefing-papers including the following new or updated Papers:
CCNI’s statutory Public Benefit Guidance was published in July and a consultation on interim proposals on reporting requirements is expected in early October 2013.
Finance for Living series:
Further details are available from CCNI’s website: charitycommissionni.org.uk
c Gift Aid carry back c Building work to church premises c Smoke free legislation and church
buildings c Managing asbestos in church buildings
c NHS Treatment for Overseas missionaries
returning to the UK c Child benefit c Jobseeker’s allowance c Volunteering whilst receiving benefits
Employment Law Update
Consultancy Helpline
A new Stewardship Briefing Note highlights some recent developments in employment law that Christian organisations employing staff should be aware of. With reference to some helpful resources from Stewardship, topics covered include National Minimum Wage rate changes, HMRC attacks on volunteer status, sick leave and holiday pay, employment disputes and unfair dismissal: bit.ly/14nxBE7
If you are baffled by constant change in charity law, tax and accounts or just want some reassurance on a few issues, then help is at hand! Our very modestly priced consultancy helpline subscription service provides telephone and email assistance, throughout the year, on a wide range of relevant areas. For further details, including a list of consultants and their specialist areas, visit bit.ly/19TewxL
Twitter updates Stewardship’s Technical Director is now on Twitter. Keep up to date with all the Tech Tweets by following Kevin @KevnRussell (no ‘i’ in Kevn!)
Kevin Russell, Technical Director
For the very latest news, subscribe to our free Sharpen email bulletin (formerly known as Legal Eagle) by visiting our website stewardship.org.uk. You can also check our Blog pages for technical updates on law, accounting and tax stewardship.org.uk/blog 25
ask Steve…
Professional advice for churches and charities
Stephen Mathews heads up the Stewardship consultancy helpline team, a specialist service offering expert knowledge to churches and charities.
OUR CHURCH
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Q: We want to start some money-making ventures in the church. What should we consider to protect the image of the church? A:
Firstly, we should be fully aware of the power of money. When used wisely it can be a blessing, but used incorrectly, its ability to corrupt individuals and ruin reputations should not be underestimated. We cannot fail to recognise that parts of society start from the perception that the church is only “after your money” – a view enhanced by some media which are more aggressively reporting stories that embarrass the church and its leadership. Chapters 8 and 9 of 2 Corinthians have a great deal to say about protecting the reputation of
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the church and by implication that of Christ himself. Doing what is right in both the sight of God and men is a biblical principle that should be thoughtfully applied to all financial relationships. Please see our blog for an expanded discussion: bit.ly/1alQWfq On a more practical level and from a UK taxation perspective, money-making ventures normally equate to trading, and trading brings with it different tax and regulatory issues which must be understood and handled well.
Q: Our church treasurer, who I trust implicitly, has suggested we use his personal account so that he can better administer a part of the church finances? Should we consider doing this? A:
We want to believe that the relationships and trust that are central tenets of church life mean that financial fraud could never take place. Trust is indeed a vital ingredient in church life, but in the area of finance it needs to be used protectively. Recent statistics from the National Fraud Office show that charities remained vulnerable to fraud, and 25% of these cases are ‘from within’. Placing church funds under the control of a single individual is not advisable. Transferring control of funds from church bank accounts to the bank account of an individual is almost never an appropriate course of action, regardless of how well the individual is known and trusted. The power of money is great and so are its dangers. By introducing effective administration and controls, leaders and trustees protect both the church and its reputation, and also the individuals handling the money. Please read our blog for two recent examples of when such arrangements proved costly to churches: bit.ly/17HFhaZ
Q: Our charity is constituted as a Trust and we have trustee indemnity insurance. Why should we consider being a Company or CIO? A: Historically, the charitable trust was the preferred legal structure for most charities. Its main advantage is its simplicity, and its main disadvantage is the unlimited financial liability that its trustees carry. Partly in order to mitigate this liability, other forms of legal structure have been developed including the Company limited by guarantee and recently the Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). Whilst both reduce the personal liability of members and trustees, the newly formed CIO is a structure designed specifically for charities. Whilst trustee indemnity insurance (TII) goes some way towards providing a financial safeguard to trustees, no structure will protect against all types of liability. TII, Companies and CIOs each protect against different risks. However, risk protection should not be the only consideration when thinking about how your charity should be structured and our guidance note Trust, Company or CIO: a guide to the distinctions will help you determine what is right for you: bit.ly/12qJyaS Remember that changing from one structure to another, whilst largely an administrative process, can still be a time-consuming one.
If you have a question you would like addressed in a future edition of Share, please write to us at editor@stewardship.org.uk.
Stephen Mathews, Head of Accountancy and Consultancy Services. To subscribe to Stewardship’s consultancy helpline service visit www.stewardship.org.uk/consultancy. Subscriptions for churches and charities start from as little as £50 per year. 27
‘But generous people plan to do what is generous, and they stand firm in their generosity.’ Isaiah 32:8 (New Living Translation)
w e ncourosmes
fr dship r a w ste What does generosity look like? How should it change our lives? Two reconfigured courses from Stewardship offer churches and individuals some practical answers to these vital questions. 28
Jesus said more about money than He did about heaven and hell. Can the same be said of our churches? Designed and published in partnership with Alpha, Stewardship are pleased to present the full edition of The Money Course. Blending down-to-earth biblical principles with tried and tested, practical teaching, The Money Course is a great way to get people talking about a subject that is too often overlooked at church. Sign up for the course and: xplore your relationship with, and * Eattitudes towards, money et advice on budgeting and managing * Gmoney, regardless of your financial circumstances
Life is made up of seasons: times of plenty and times of need; times of dancing and times of mourning; times to embrace and times to let go. Seasons of Giving, a home group generosity study, is designed in two parts to help anyone wondering what it means to fully embrace generosity, no matter what the weather. These complementary four-part studies – the first on money, the second on whole life generosity – explore the richness of generosity throughout the Bible. Seasons helps participants to reflect on generosity in their own lives by examining life choices made by Biblical characters, such as the rich young ruler and the widow of the widow’s mite. Weekly studies are full of wisdom, activities and practical advice for living a generous life today.
et support if you are worried about or * Gstruggling with your financial situation
Every one of us is a story in progress, and Seasons of Giving is a great way to look back on where we have come from and get equipped and inspired about where we are heading.
themoneycourse.org
stewardship.org.uk/seasons
egain control over finances where * Rthings have got into a muddle
Order your copy of the Seasons of Giving workbook online. Generous bulk order discounts available! 29
organise all your charitable giving in one online account:
stewardship.org.uk/givingaccount
Stewardship is a registered charity 234714.
transforming generosity
Soul Survivor // Stewardship recipient 20032886 Image courtesy of Soul Survivor 2009
charity: water // Stewardship recipient 20122503 Photo by Esther Havens. Property of charity: water