Leeds Vineyard

Pie Chart Sunday 2015 & a big thank you!

Here’s our THANK YOU for you your generosity, and your annual catch-up on the church’s finances - Pie Chart Sunday!

Draft figures show that total income for Leeds Vineyard for the year ended 30 April 2014 was £269,612 and total expenditure was £260,578. So we were able to set aside £9,034 to rebuild our reserves and to be able to manage cash flow effectively.
 
If you would like to take the opportunity to review your giving please take a look at our giving form, standing order form and take the time to complete a gift aid declaration if you pay tax (of course you can do it online, through www.give.net, Stewardship (or CAF) or by payroll giving - if offered by your employer).
 
We want to thank you for your giving to the Leeds Vineyard and to God’s Kingdom work amongst us. In 2 Corinthians 9:12 Paul tells us that our giving not only helps to supply the needs of God’s people but “overflows in many expressions of thanks”. What he means is that there are many people who are saying “Thank you” to God because of your giving.
 

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It could be Charles who no longer fears the bailiffs and knows that he will be clear of debt very soon thanks to the work of the Vine Debt Advice Centre. Or it could be John who said he had been able to rebuild a relationship with his small son through the work of the Vine Child Contact Centre. It could be the people who have received prayer for healing or who have heard about the love of Jesus for the first time through the Vineyard. It may be Sean, grateful for a hot drink on Sunday morning because he knows we say “come as you are”. It may be couples working through a rough patch in their marriage with the help of their housegroup friends or the student new to Leeds who has found a church family. Or it might be someone who just makes it into weekly worship and thirsts for the presence of the Holy Spirit like water in a dry and arid land.

Hundreds of people are saying thank you to God as a result of your generosity. That’s a really great result of giving - but it’s not the main reason we give! The starting point is found in 2 Corinthians 9:14, where Paul says, “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift.”
 
As RVG Tasker (Theologian at Kings College London) said, “Jesus is the divine gift which inspires all gifts”. The splendour of Jesus’ eternal kingdom was given up for our sake, so that we may be saved and redeemed into that kingdom. Our simple response to that amazing gift starts at the mean, material, money level - simply honouring Him with our first fruit.
 
Looking back over the last year we are incredibly grateful for every penny you have given – we have been able to steer the church on to a much healthier course than our previous direction. And we have pursued the vision God has given us for making Headingley our Home and our Hub; for seeing the kingdom come both here and beyond. Some highlights have been: the work overseas of Ivan & Libby and Ruth; the crucial work of the Vine; opening up ministry amongst students; welcoming more and more people who can actually walk to church; the incredibly encouraging Doing the Stuff conference with Robby Dawkins; seeing people grow in discipleship through weekly worship and small groups; baptising Tim, Sarah, Annette and Tom; and steady progress in building bridges into Headingley.
 
Baptism 1And we have loads to look forward to! We will baptise people and continue with our mission to win Headingley for the Kingdom and to reach out into Leeds and beyond. But during the next year we will see an exciting new development in the ways people can connect with the church on a regular basis and also a big project to increase our ministry with the poor - making it more central and more accessible for everyone to get involved. Watch this space!
 
pie chartWe’ll soon be talking more about our plans for the next year - including “Pie Chart Sunday” in May. In the meantime can I encourage you to review your giving, by which I mean going to the Lord with all that he has given you and checking how much he is inviting you to give to his mission in the world through Leeds Vineyard!
 
And thanks once again!
 
David & Alison
 

David and Alison Flowers, 09/05/2015