We are excited that the annual initiative of the Church of England, Generosity Week, returns this year from September 29 to October 6. This week is an opportunity to give thanks for all that comes from our loving God, for people’s contributions to our church life as well as reflecting on how we can live generously in our everyday lives.
In a world where materialism and self-interest dominate, costs, along with inflation increases, tighter budgets and calls for volunteers can feel like a call into the wilderness! Generosity Week offers a counter-narrative highlighting the joy, fulfilment, and spiritual growth that comes from living a generous life.
We are encouraged to give joyfully, because we want to share the love of Christ with others. Generosity should not be something to shy away from, but a privilege and joy! William Temple Church celebrate a monthly service called “Thanksgiving for the end of the month”; building cheerful giving into the rhythm of the life of their church. Having launched the Parish Giving Scheme one of the many benefits was helping members who can’t attend regularly to be faithful givers. The funds have enabled their church to reach out to its surrounding deprived area, as Revd Ruth Turner says, “we support community activities, taking seriously our Lord’s command to serve ALL our neighbours.”
This year Generosity Week reflects on Living Generously. Jonathan de Bernhardt Wood Director of Giving at Church House, uses the verse from John 12:3 “Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair.” In a series of daily reflections (Living Generously – films for small groups and individual study | The Church of England) we’re asked to consider this powerful moment where Mary displays the astonishing generosity God Himself pours onto us. Daily we’re encouraged to think how we give our time, attention, wealth, talents, possessions, our self-respect and comfort to others, displaying Christ in all our actions, showing the face of God in what we do and inspiring others in the process.
Here are some activities and initiatives to inspire and engage your congregations and local communities during this week. Please remember you can celebrate Generosity Week at any time of the year!
Online Service
We are delighted that the Generosity online service for 2024 will be broadcast from Holy Trinity Church, Roehampton in our Diocese – do listen in or join the parish communion at 10am on Sunday 29 September. The Revd Joshua Rey said: “It is in giving that we receive – but as the Vicar of a deprived inner London parish, which couldn’t provide full time ministry without the generosity of other churches around the diocese, I can tell you that to receive the generosity of others is also a joy! Giving is not a zero sum game, the more we give the more we have. The more we receive a generous gift with joy and love, the more we give.”
EVERYDAY GENEROSITY -Reflections and Podcasts
The Church of England’s Everyday Faith app, will focus on harvest, generosity and gratitude, providing carefully curated daily reflections, including selected Bible readings, a simple prayer to prepare you for the day ahead, and thoughts based on that week’s theme. Starting on 23 September and leading up to Generosity Week, Jonathan de Bernhardt Wood is featured on the Everyday Faith app with six days of inspirational generosity, based on the story of Martha and Mary. The following week there will be a series of talks on gratitude linking in with Harvest.
Generosity Challenges
New for 2024! Try out our “Generosity Challenge” for children and young people. Having completed the Aurora course, I enjoyed creating these resources offering an opportunity to prompt conversations about living generously across generations, perhaps around the dinner table? Using the familiar story of the Good Samaritan there are short thoughts and actions to think about each day. https://southwark.anglican.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CYP-Living-Generously-2024.pdf
Some churches are organising “Generosity Challenges” particularly for Young People, where the congregation are encouraged to perform acts of kindness and generosity through the week.
Community Outreach
Generosity Week is an opportunity for churches to echo our vision Christ Centred: Outward Focused and celebrate this in the wider community. The National church has some ideas about celebrating Generosity Week with, and in, our wider community (community-engagement-for-generosity-week-2022.pdf (churchofengland.org). Whether through food banks, clothing drives, or other forms of support, churches are finding ways to show Christ’s love to their local communities.
Prayer and Reflection
Prayer is a vital part of Generosity Week. Some churches are setting aside time for prayer and reflection, asking God for help to cultivate a generous spirit. Some ideas can be found here: Generosity in creative prayer: Harvest (anglican.org)
The easiest way to INSPIRE generosity is by sharing and celebrating stories. Why not encourage members to share their own stories of giving—whether big or small—during services or on social media. We have seen the power this has, with generosity growing as others hear the impact of giving and are motivated to be involved!
The Impact of Generosity Week is longer than 7 days
Generosity Week has a real, tangible impact on individuals, churches, and communities. It reminds us all to serve God, by embracing a life of giving that reflects the heart of God, who is abundantly generous; sharing His generosity to us with others. As we prepare for Generosity Week, let us be encouraged by the words of Jesus (Luke 6:38): “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
My prayer is that Generosity Week 2024, whenever you choose to celebrate it, will be a time of growth, joy, and transformation for your Church and worshippers.
