Sharing Good News Fund
Diocesan grants to encourage mission in local communities
Within your PCC or Deanery Synod or among your congregation there will be people with ideas for sharing more fully the love of God in your community. It may be a simple project or activity that people would love to get off the ground, but you just can’t find the funds - well, help is at hand.
- £30,000 is available in 2009 to help fund local mission
- Parishes, benefices, deaneries and Churches Together groups can all apply
- Our vision is of lots of small-scale local projects (see inside for some practical suggestions)
- The normal grant would be up to £600; it’s remarkable what such a relatively small sum can help achieve, especially if it helps unlock other resources too
- The key criterion is that your proposal should help you more effectively to express God’s mission in your community
2009 Grant Application Form: Word / PDF
What could you do with £600?
£600 can be a significant amount to help start some new initiative, fund a one-off project or contribute to something larger. It might, for example, help a parish, benefice or other group to ….
- Run a children’s club during school holidays
- Buy equipment for a toddlers’ group
- Produce good quality leaflets, signs, displays or prayer aids for people who visit your church building
- Buy materials to offer ‘Godly Play’ in your local school
- Run a mission weekend, musical or arts event or other special activity to draw in those with whom you have contact in your community
- Run Alpha, Emmaus or Credo courses
- Hire a minibus occasionally so you can do more things for teenagers in your area
- Provide special gift parcels for housebound or other needy people
- Distribute gospels or other literature to homes in your community
- Set up a church-run community news-leaflet or similar
- Buy a piece of equipment that you will go on using as a resource for mission
As you plan...
- Find out what ideas others in your area have: it may be that by working with others (e.g. neighbouring parishes) you would all end up doing something better.
- Be sure that you have thought through issues like insurance and CRB requirements; if anybody is to be employed (even if short term or for few hours) make sure you act according to the law.
- Ask for advice if you need it from your Bishop, Archdeacon or the Diocesan Secretary.
