Christ Church
Walshaw, Bury
Living and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ
Click on each major heading for drop-down menus
Funding the church
For 132 years since the church was opened in 1892, the Lord has provided for the church's needs. The church would not be here today without the faith and generosity of previous generations.
This short guide helps to outline the ongoing financial requirements of the church, as well as showing the various methods by which you can donate.
Who pays for the church?
There is an urban myth that churches like Christ Church receive generous funding from the regional or national Church of England. This unfortunately is not the case! Christ Church has to be self-supporting in order to fund the mission and purpose God has called us to in Walshaw.
In fact, churches like Christ Church actually contribute to our local Diocese, in our case the Manchester Diocese, in the form of a ‘parish share’. For information about the ‘parish share’ system and what our contribution is used for, please watch the video below and also at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLYty3InNqM&t=2s
The expected contribution for Christ Church to the Manchester Diocese in 2026 is around £28,000.
How much does it cost to run the church?
We are privileged to have a physical building to meet in, and we are truly grateful for this. The maintenance costs for the building and the grounds however are very high (£4,000/year), not to mention huge insurance premiums. This cost £11,500 in 2025 although we have now secured a significant saving by moving to a new supplier, although our premium for 2026 is still as high as £7,300. Energy costs have also continued to rise with the cost of gas in 2025 being £10,800 and electricity £1,800.
Our total costs, including our parish share, for 2026 is anticipated to be around £54,000. This equates to approximately £1,000/week.
We also prioritise a proportion of our income to give support to our partner mission organisations.
All donations received are therefore used to facilitate the work and place of Christ Church Walshaw in sharing the Good News of Jesus to our generation of local residents, as well as supporting some key mission partners.
How you can give?
-
Cash or cheques on the collection plate at any service.
-
Using giving envelopes for regular donations. Details from ccwalshawtreasurer@gmail.com.
-
Standing orders to the church bank account. Details from ccwalshawtreasurer@gmail.com.
-
Card donations using the electronic device near the back of church.
-
QR code donations using the code on the right.
-
Legacy donations.
Can I increase the value of my donation?
If you pay income tax, the value of your gift can be increased by 25% by signing a Gift Aid form available from ccwalshawtreasurer@gmail.com or from church at any service.
Reasons for giving?
Some people donate to Christ Church because they want to contribute to maintaining the church in our village. This is greatly appreciated by the church community. Giving, however, is an important part of our worship of God. Here are just three things the Bible says about money. (There are many other things!)
Everything we have is God’s anyway and we are only trustees of it. When we give to the Lord, we are giving back to him what he already owns. (1 Chronicles 29:14 Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand ).
There is joy in giving (2 Corinthians 9:7 God loves a cheerful giver.)
Giving should be in secret. (Matthew 6:4 ‘…so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you).
