Minister’s Challenge Inspires Creativity, Camaraderie Among Church Members

Last year, the Rev. Mark Rylands decided that instead of asking for money, he would give it away.

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The minister handed out five-pound notes (worth $8.27) during Christmas Day services at the congregation of St. John the Baptist, in the British village of Pitney, then asked each parishioner to invest it in some way that would raise money to rebuild the church’s steeple.

Altogether, he gave away about $248. Within four months, he got back more than $3,000.

The villagers came up with numerous ways to turn their five-pound notes into gold. One church member, a pilot, used his money to buy a roll of film, then took aerial photographs of people’s homes and sold them, raising more than $165.

As the fund-raising efforts got under way, word spread beyond the congregation, and other Pitney residents volunteered to come up with ways to help raise money. All told, 30 people participated.

Mr. Rylands was delighted by the spirit of generosity in the community, but he was even more pleased with the camaraderie that it inspired.

“It was what it did in the village that I was pleased about,” he says. “It brought some people together. Someone made pots and another person painted them. Two women washed windows together.”

One man opened up his farm to local families in the springtime, took children on rides, and served refreshments, which he purchased with his five pounds. Admission and the sale of hot dogs, cake, and home-made soup during the day-long event made more than $660 for the church.

Not everyone came up with special events to raise money, says Mr. Rylands. One parishioner invested her five-pound gift in the stock market, and others reached into their pockets to make a contribution.

Mr. Rylands was struck by the variety of ways in which people used their five-pound notes to contribute to rebuilding the steeple. “It created a generosity of spirit, which was lovely,” he says.

“People don’t necessarily interact in the communities in which they live,” he adds. “They don’t necessarily know their next-door neighbors.” Pitching in for a good cause can change all that, he says.

For more information, contact Rev. Mark Rylands, The Rectory, Huish Episcopi, Near Langport, Somerset TA10 9QR, United Kingdom; telephone (011) (44) (145) 825-0480.