| H i s t o r y - Stewardship |
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Stewardship Campaigns
Christian stewardship refers to the practice of regular and proportionate giving of time, talents and material possessions, based on the conviction that these are held as a trust from God, to be used in His service, in grateful acknowledgment of all that He does for us through Christ's redeeming love. A church building may well serve as a physical focus for a Church, but it is actually its people who both embody and express the real Church. It is of course important that they should attend their building regularly to join together in prayer, to receive the benefit and challenge |
Arthur Holbrook talking with members of the congregation at the end of a morning Service. |
fullest sense, requires the active support - that is, the
Christian Stewardship - of all of its members.
Although this has long been a key principle, and practice, within the Church, by 1961 there was agreement among the Knutsford Methodists that the full potential of the membership, as a source of Christian witness and service, would be better harnessed if a specific campaign of Christian Stewardship were launched. This duly took place, through a series of meetings, including the occasion in January 1962 of the Church Family Dinner. The campaign was judged a success, and has been repeated at appropriate intervals since that time. | ||||
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of spiritual teaching and to enjoy the fellowship of a Church
family. It is also important that their faiths are expressed
in and through their daily lives, visible to all with whom they
interact.
The functioning of the Church, in its Finances
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Methodists in Knutsford have always been generous toward the work of the Church. A great advance was made in 1921 when pew rents were abolished and the Envelope System substituted. This resulted in an increase in the collections. A further step was made in 1962
when the Christian Stewardship Campaign was launched. This
resulted in a general increase of the finances, and also the
building up of the life of the Church.
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The country's tax arrangements then allowed the beneficiaries (which included churches) of charitable givings to receive also the equivalent tax previously levied on the donor's income.
The congregations over the years have fluctuated, and especially
during the war years the Society suffered many losses. Since
the last war, however, there has been a steady rise in
membership.
| Knutsford is a growing town, and the Church has steadily received new members. | |||