We are a mid-sized church blessed with a diverse congregation. We are a family focussed church with lively, children and youth ministries. Our congregation are cheerful givers which has enabled us to give generously to the diocese via the Parish Support Fund (PSF) over many years.
Our church took the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) resources seriously and we chose a small group of people to commit their time to reading everything meticulously and praying about this. In our view this clearly didn’t adhere to scripture teaching on marriage and sexuality. A thoughtful response was sent to our Bishops and copied to our Patron (The Church Pastoral Aid Society). We tried to engage in meaningful conversation with our Bishop both by letter and in person. When General Synod approved the Prayers of Love and Faith (PLF) it became apparent that our concerns were not being listened to, so our only path was for our PCC to have discussions about this matter and the best way to respond. It was vital that the decision by General Synod should not be ignored.
There were some things to consider before any action was decided upon. We were mindful that the implications of the PLF proposal were not widely understood by the whole congregation. When the PCC considered our PSF and whether some or all of it should be given to support other churches, our churchwardens conducted a consultation with the congregation. They proposed a number of options where the money could be given and used to further God’s kingdom in our diocese. This process went smoothly. After much prayer and discussion, the PCC chose to continue to give for the cost of our own incumbent to the diocese and for the amount in excess of this to be given via the Ephesian Fund. We know that not everyone in the congregation was in agreement with this decision but the majority were.
The Ephesian Fund was the best option for our church as the money is held in a secure way and then distributed to other churches with similar views to ours. It was simple to transfer the money and the money was sent out speedily. The diocese responded favourably and did not inhibit this new way of giving. For any churches who wish to stay close to God’s teaching in these turbulent times and are considering how to support other churches who think similarly, please don’t feel it’s too difficult. It isn’t. The Ephesian Fund is a good solution and protects conscience on matters relating to giving for gospel ministry. Our Vicar received heartfelt and encouraging letters of great thanks from the Vicars of the churches who were assigned the funds by CEEC. It has strengthened our relationships with these churches and it is convicting us that this is the right thing to do at this time.
