Giving Online
You can now easily give online to our church via the following link:-
Otley Parish Church Online Giving Page
Otley Parish Church Annual Report and Financial Statements Here
Some Principles Of Giving
We give because God has given to us. We recognise that everything comes from God and is his gift. This is why, at the Communion service offertory, we say “All things come from you and of your own do we give you.”
* How we use our time, our money and our talents, balancing our needs with the needs of others is a working out of the command to love God and our neighbour as ourself.
* We are to give generously and sacrificially according to our income and our assets.
* ‘Tithing is a helpful starting point. The chief guideline from the Old Testament (to a people mostly surviving by subsistence agriculture), is to give 10% of our income to God.
* We give to God the best of our time, our money and our talents. Not the leftovers.
* We need to be ‘counter cultural’, resisting the constant and persuasive pressures from advertising and marketing, and from our friends and neighbours.
Have You Recently Joined Us?
If you are new to faith, or new to our Church, you might be surprised or worried about this invitation.
* We recognize that people’s finances are often fully committed, and to change patterns of expenditure may take time. God helps us to do this – it’s part of reshaping our lives and our priorities as we learn to follow Jesus in our own unique, and ever-changing, situation.
Ways of Giving
We thank those who give regularly to support the life and work of Otley Parish Church and its buildings. Should you wish to give direct to the Church bank account or set up a Standing Order online, then our account details are as follows:-
Parochial Church Council of Otley – sort code 20 37 13 – account number 10088811
If you prefer, you could download and complete our Standing Order Form and send it to your bank to implement.
You can place gifts by cash or cheques in the wall safe or give using a payment card with the electronic terminal at the back of the Church. There is also a link above on this web page to let you may make a donation online.
The Church is also part of the Parish Giving Scheme operated by the Diocese and you may give to the Church through this scheme. More information in available Here
For those who are UK taxpayers you can enhance your giving by 25% by using the Gift Aid Scheme. This can be done by downloading our Gift Aid Form.
If you have any questions about giving to the church, please contact our Treasurer at treasurer@otleyparishchurch.org.
Legacies
Sadly, about 60% of people never make a will, which is our final act of stewardship. Our death can release resources for the causes we have been committed to in our lifetime. At present all legacies are used to maintain our wonderful Grade 1 listed Church building, unless otherwise indicated in the legacy. Do talk to our Church treasurer about legacies.
Isn’t The Church of England Rich?
The Church of England does have substantial central investments which are managed by theChurch Commissioners.
* Those investments produce an annual income that is used to pay for pensions, cathedrals and bishops. It also supports the Church in deprived areas and some mission initiatives.
* There are no central funds to support ordinary churches like us in our regular activities
The Parish Share
Otley Parish Church is part of the Diocese of Leeds, and about two thirds of our expected income goes into the Diocese of Leeds’ common pot, from which clergy salaries, pension contributions, housing and training are all paid.
*95% of giving to the Diocesan common pot comes back to parishes, mainly through provision of clergy but also through other services provided. Just 5% is spent on management and administration.
* The amount each Church pays into the pot is determined by the number of clergy (not including curates in training), the size of the congregation and the relative wealth or poverty of the geographical Parish.
* The contributions of wealthier parishes help finance the Church’s ministry in poorer parishes. This is a key part of missionary giving for better-off parishes.
Budget for 2024
The PCC budgeted for a large deficit in 2024 because of the current high gas and electricity costs, another large increase of about 7% in our Parish Share and because of the costs of having a part time youth worker. This is possible because the Church has a good level of financial reserves but is not sustainable in the longer term. The Church’s cash reserves are likely to fall by about a third during 2024 unless there is a substantial increase in gifts and donations.
