PETER has a young child to support while pursuing his own studies. When the family washing machine broke beyond repair, Peter needed somewhere to turn.
Fortunately, Peter is an ordinand, and he knew of the generosity of Church Times readers who, over the years, have given nearly £5 million to support those in training for the priesthood in the C of E.
The Church Times Train-A-Priest (TAP) Fund has been supporting ordinands like Peter since 1952, in recognition of the sacrifices that many people make when they answer God’s call to the ordained ministry.
Peter approached the Ministry Division, who disburse the money raised by the Church Times Lenten appeal, and received a £300 contribution for a new washing machine.
We — and the Ministry Division — would like to give more, but requests to the Special Hardship Fund, carved out of the overall TAP amount, are currently outstripping the money available.
This is why we have decided that all the money raised in this year’s TAP appeal will go into the hardship fund, ready to meet those unforeseen emergencies, and allow candidates for ordination to concentrate on their training, free from financial worries.
Will you help? Every penny of every pound given goes directly to ordinands. Nothing is kept back for administering the fund. Giving couldn’t be easier.
How to give
GIVING online is easiest for many donors, and for us. Simply visit www.hymnsam.co.uk/train-a-priest.aspx. This is a secure page with clear instructions.
We also accept cheques, postal orders, cash, and charity cheques, which should be sent to: TAP Fund, Church Times, 13a Hellesdon Park Road, Norwich NR6 5DR. If you would like an acknowledgement, please enclose a SAE. UK taxpayers can boost their gift by making a Gift Aid declaration. Please do this on our online donations page, or by enclosing the form on this page.
Spread the word:
PLEASE encourage other people to give to TAP, too. A leaflet can be downloaded from the Church Times website; and we encourage churches to hold a collection or fund-raising effort. Please let us know about your support, and your stories: we like to mention them in the Church Times.