The Church of England has confirmed that it’ll be committing a £2 million grant to the Clergy Support Trust (CST), a centuries old charity that gives financial, health and wellbeing support to members of the clergy.
The CST was founded in 1655 throughout the time of Oliver Cromwell, and is primarily tasked with providing confidential financial assistance to Anglican clergy within the United Kingdom and in Europe.
Last 12 months the charity helped nearly 2,800 households with grants totalling greater than £6 million.
The Church’s decision to offer £2 million to the CST comes at a time when it’s undergoing a large ranging review into church funds. Part of the review also consists of examining the worth of clergy stipends and pensions.
Mark Tanner, the Bishop of Chichester and Chair of the Church’s Ministry Development Board, is grateful for the commitment.
“This award recognises the financial pressures facing our dedicated and hard-working clergy across the country who accomplish that much to serve their communities,” he said.
The Rev Ben Cahill-Nicholls, Chief Executive of the CST, said, “Ministry is a joy, but comes with significant challenges; for too many clergy, those challenges are financial. Today’s announcement is a really positive step forward, because the Church continues to acknowledge that more have to be done.”
Beneficiaries of the work of CST include Sarah, a curate whose daughter qualified for the 100 metres and the long jump finally 12 months’s Paralympics in Paris. CST provided a wellbeing grant that allowed the family to make the “once-in-a-lifetime trip” to see their daughter compete.
Another case was Josiah, a curate who has struggled with supporting his three children while managing multiple parishes. He received a grant to purchase vestments, a bicycle and a Macbook for writing sermons.
Josiah said, “I’ve got three children – two boys and a woman – and so sometimes it’s slightly bit difficult to make ends meet.
“After my first application [to CST], I assumed ‘why do you stress yourself a lot attempting to squeeze things with a purpose to get money to purchase certain things? When Clergy Support Trust is there to support you?'”
