Make use of your talents this Lent and help St Mary’s

Do you remember the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) – The master entrusted his servants, to look after his money while he was away from home – different amounts were given to each according to their ability. Two worked hard to increase their share while the third hid his share away until the master returned. Two were rewarded while the other was shunned. The parable was of course not just about money, it also drew attention to the need to make good use of all our God given gifts and talents. 

As our Rector says, “There is no life experience or ability that you have, that God cannot use!”

During Lent we are inviting you to reflect on this parable and consider how you might make use of your talents to help further the church’s mission. 

We have two ways you can use the talents with which God has trusted you. 

One

The church has a variety of “things” which need doing, either occasionally or on a regular basis. 

It is lovely to come to a warm, welcoming, clean and tidy church. We have music to listen to and to join in with, we have flowers to enjoy, we are read to and we are provided with coffee. 

Who makes it like this—or does it happen all by itself? People like you and me make it happen. People with talents who use them for God. 

You may have talents which you might never have thought God could use. For example:- 

Do you like to sing ……… Why not join the choir? 

Are you good with children ……….. Help with our children’s work. 

Can you arrange flowers ……… Join the flower rota. 

Are you happy to speak in public ………. Help with reading lessons or intercessions. 

How about mopping, sweeping or dusting ………. Join the church cleaners. 

Do you like “tech” and have a good eye ……….. Help stream our services 

Like gardening ………. Become a churchyard angel. 

Maybe you are a good listener ………… Help us with our Pastoral Care. 

Do you like meeting visitors ……… Join our church welcome team. 

Are you good at baking ………… Help us with refreshments. 

And last but not least, do you have ideas for fundraising …….. If so, we really want to hear from you. 

Two

Just like the master in the parable, we would like to give you £10 to look after. We invite you to see how you can “grow it” just like the first two servants did. We have a few suggestions on ways of doing this but hope you will come up with some innovative ideas. 

You could use it to:- 

Buy the ingredients to bake cakes to sell (you can advertise them on the newsletter the week before) 

Fund a coffee morning or a tea party for friends 

Buy car shampoo to offer to wash your neighbour’s car for a fee 

Organise a games evening and persuade your friends to buy tickets 

Buy materials such as flowers, paints or wool and get creative and then sell the results 

Plant cress seeds and then sell ready to eat cress. 

We don’t recommend buying Lottery Tickets—you might lose all your money, Similarly, don’t just put it in the bank (or even dig a hole and bury it). While interest rates may at last be creeping up, we are sure you could do much better by using your God given talents! 

To get your £10, complete the form below then collect your £10 after any of the services on Sundays 19th or 26th February, Ash Wednesday or Thursday 23rd February. 

If you would like to know more about using your talents to help our church, fill in the form and we will get back to you.