Yesterday in Church Commissioner’s Questions in the House of Commons Penrith and The Border MP, Dr Neil Hudson asked for an update on the success of the electronic giving system being trialled in churches in Diocese of Carlisle.
In the Commons, an MP is chosen by the party in Government to speak officially on behalf of the Church of England.
Dr Hudson asked:
“I am sure he will agree with me that churches up and down the land have done an amazing job through the pandemic in terms of pastoral care, community support and delivering services virtually and now physically again. It is so important they have a secure financial future moving forward. Can my honourable friend give the House an assessment on the progress and impact of the electronic giving system being piloted in Cumbria by the Diocese of Carlisle?”
The Second Church Estates Commissioner, Andrew Selous responded:
“I thank my Honourable Friend for his kind words and I can tell him that St Patrick’s church in Patterdale and Lanercost Priory are among the 110 churches in the Carlisle Diocese that have been given contactless units and not all of them require connectivity to take donations either. Since June this year £30,000 has been given through these units. Which is 30% more than we were budgeting for and we know that the average contactless donation is almost three times higher then the average cash donation and the average online donation is ten times higher. So where Cumbria leads, the Church of England should follow!”
Commenting afterwards, Dr Hudson said:
“It was fantastic to hear of the success of contactless payment systems in churches in the Carlisle Diocese. It was especially pleasing to hear the Church Commissioner praising the work of St Patrick’s Church in Patterdale and Lanercost Priory. Church life continues to play a vital role in bringing communities together, especially after such a turbulent 18 months and any system that simplifies donations is good news for donors and The Church alike.
Churches across Penrith and The Border are showing their 21st century credentials with their introduction of contactless payments and I couldn’t agree with the Church Commissioner more that the Carlisle Diocese sets an example that the rest of the country should follow.”
