Giving Sunday 2026

“Becoming People Who Give Ourselves Away”

In April 2026 our Vicar, Revd Graham Hunter, helped us reflect on how we join in with God’s vision and purpose for our church by giving…

What does it mean to be a truly generous people?

When many of us think about giving, we instinctively think about money. But Christian generosity is much bigger than finances. It is about the whole of life. It is about becoming people who receive everything as gift from God, and therefore learn to hold everything lightly and offer everything gladly.

In Acts 2, we are given a remarkable picture of the early church. They devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, prayer, worship, and sharing life together. They gave to anyone who had need. Their lives were marked by joy, unity, and spiritual vitality.

What created such a community?

It was not pressure, guilt, or obligation. It was the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. Their hearts had been gripped by the generosity of Jesus Christ, who gave himself for them. As a result, their grip on possessions began to loosen.

That remains true today. Generosity is not mainly about fundraising. It is about discipleship.

Jesus spoke often about money and possessions because he understood how easily they can master us. We live in a culture that encourages us to accumulate, compare, worry, and hold tightly to what we have. But the gospel invites us into freedom: freedom from anxiety, freedom from control, and freedom from believing that security lies in our bank balance.

Romans 12 widens the picture even further. We all have different gifts, given by God’s grace: serving, teaching, encouraging, leading, showing mercy, giving, and more. Every gift we have received is something to be shared.

So generosity includes our finances, but also our time, skills, relationships, influence, hospitality, energy, and compassion. There is no spectator seat in the church. Every person has something to give.

The invitation, then, is twofold.

First, if giving financially is not yet part of your discipleship, perhaps now is the time to begin. Start somewhere. Start prayerfully. Start intentionally.

Second, offer your whole self to God. Ask: What has God entrusted to me? Where am I giving it away? Who is being blessed through my life?

The early Christians received everything as gift, held everything lightly, and gave freely.

The result was joy, unity, and lives transformed.

What might happen if we became that kind of people today?