How to support our work through Planned Giving

What is Planned Giving?

Planned Giving is a way of giving regularly to help fund the work of our Parish. It aims to help you give generously within your means, and makes it easier for the Parish to fund God’s work. It also helps the Parochial Church Council (PCC) to budget for the years ahead, giving solid financial foundations for the ministry and mission of our Parish, enabling us to plan for the future with confidence.  

Our planned giving - all the regular giving from the congregation and the Gift Aid that we claim from HMRC if the giver pays UK income tax - helps us plan as a Church. 75% of our church income currently comes this way. Further information is provided in the leaflet below:

The God Who Provides Leaflet May 2026

How can I give?

The easiest and most effective way to give is via a standing order from your bank account or if you prefer you can use weekly giving envelopes (see below).  Please contact our Giving Secretary Michael Hoey by clicking here.

Parish Giving Scheme (PGS)

We are registered with the Parish Giving Scheme (PGS), which gives us another way to plan our giving. The PGS is a charity set up, owned and funded by the Church of England. You can give to St Mary’s through the PGS by phone, by completing a paper form, or online, which will help you set up a monthly, quarterly or annual Direct Debit. You can complete a Gift Aid declaration at this point if you are a tax-payer.

What’s the point of this? Well, many of us already organise our financial life online, or support other charities using Direct Debits in this way. The PGS makes church-related giving similar to how life works for many of us today. If you wish, you can also tick a box when signing up to say that you are happy in principle for your giving to increase annually with inflation. PGS gives you 30 days’ notice of what the change will be. Of course, you can change your mind and decline any increase.

Administratively, then, the PGS is very straightforward for you, and for St Mary’s & St Peter’s. The PGS requires someone to be the church’s “Statement Receiver”. The PCC has authorised Stephen Cotton to be in this role. He receives a monthly statement of giving made through the PGS and will pass this information to Michael Hoey. If you wish your giving to be anonymous, you can do this with the PGS, in which case Stephen will receive the summary of amounts given without any identification of the donors.

As ever, a heartfelt thank you to all existing givers who are so generously supporting all our current ministry activities and staffing.

The Parish Giving Scheme is here, but if you wish to review your giving or, indeed, start right now on the existing system you can email Michael Hoey.

If you need a paper form or help with filling in the online form, please contact Stephen Cotton via the Parish Office.

St. Mary's PGS Link

Why should I plan my giving?

We all share the responsibility to make sure our ministry and mission continues here in Princes Risborough and surrounding areas. Jesus instructs us to go out and tell the good news to everyone, and in this Parish we do that in many different ways. All the varied styles of worship, teaching and outreach we offer help each of us to grow in faith and to reach out to all.

Our ministry and outreach work costs money and is wholly paid for by our giving. Our giving funds the employment costs of our Vicar, Curates, ministry training, support for our unpaid ministers, administration. As well as enabling us to mount a vast array of ministries ranging from Sunday, weekday and seasonal services and lively family services. There are also Sunday schools, home visits and communions, Alpha courses, home groups, summer holiday clubs, youth groups, not to mention outreach initiatives into our local communities.

For more theological insight into the importance of giving, you may like to read;

  • God is the Creator: Genesis 1,
  • All that we have belongs to God: 1 Chronicles 29:11-14,
  • We are called to be good stewards of God's gift: 1 Peter 4:10,
  • Jesus' teaching: Matthew 25:14-30,
  • Give in proportion to what we've been given: Luke 21: 1-4,
  • Give regularly and willingly: 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 & 2 Corinthians 8:12.

Gift Aid

If you pay either UK Income or Capital Gains Tax you can make your donation go even further. We can claim 25p for every £1 you donate, at no extra cost to you. If you pay tax at a higher rate than the basic tax rate, then you can claim further tax relief for yourself from HMRC.

Gifting Legacy

Legacies

Have you thought of leaving a gift to The Parish of St Mary with St Peter in your will?

If you are drawing up or amending a will, you may want to consider leaving a sum of money to the Parish.  Over the years many people have given generous legacies to the parish and this continues to be an important source of funding, which has benefited our ministry and outreach in many ways.  Any bequests made to us will be entirely free from any UK Inheritance Tax liability.  For more information we have leaflets available in the church or you can download one here. To find out more, please contact Jane Cotton via the Parish Office.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have any queries or would like more information please email our Giving Secretary Michael Hoey on plannedgiving@stmarysrisborough.org.uk or pick up one of the little 'Giving' leaflets in church.

Sign up to receive email updates

Stay connected with our church community! Sign up to receive email updates about upcoming events, special services, and important announcements. Let’s journey together in faith and fellowship.