The Celebrate offering

At Celebrate, we look upon financial offerings for the Lord’s work as an important part of our responsibility to be good stewards of all that he has given us. We never talk about “taking up a collection” because we want to help people get a better and more developed understanding of the whole ministry of giving to the Lord—it’s not just a matter of “collecting” our loose change! What we give needs to be thought about carefully, and we need to prayerfully seek the Lord’s guidance about how much that should be. So at each Conference and Celebrate Weekend we carefully explain that we will be taking up just one offering, and that we have a very clear vision for how the money will be used. Then the challenge to all of us is how much to give!

What happens to the money given?

  • First of all, we help young people to attend courses and programmes of further education and training in their faith, or who want to give some time to working with Christian organisations in developing countries, or in doing unpaid youth work in parishes, deaneries, or dioceses.
  • We encourage young people to undertake leadership training programmes, and we offer subsidies for our own Release initiative—a four-stage formation programme for potential young Celebrate leaders.
  • We provide funds to help in areas of natural disasters and special needs, usually through CAFOD.
  • We offer seed money to support special projects in the church, supported by communities or groups connected with Celebrate, including new Celebrate Weekends and training initiatives.
  • We give subsidies to help people attend the Celebrate events and other appropriate conferences and programmes.
  • We support organisations working within the Charismatic Renewal to bring new life into the church, such as CREW Trust (which includes Good News Magazine, Catholic Evangelisation Services and CaFE), National Service Committees, International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services, the International Charismatic Consultation, and the Centro Gatherings in the Holy Spirit.
  • Finally, we are able to offset any expenses incurred in the setting up of Celebrate events which are not covered by the fees charged, and to give generous gifts to any schools that have not asked us to pay for using their premises.

What accountability is there?

Over the last 17 years we have received and given away more than half a million pounds, all of which has been given in the offerings at Celebrate events. To ensure that there is full accountability for all the money given, the offerings go to CREW Trust, a registered charity No. 277425, and the Trustees of CREW authorise and oversee the ways the money is used. This also has the advantage that CREW Trust can claim Gift Aid on all money donated by tax-payers.

When we give to a Celebrate offering we do so in the certain knowledge that lives will be changed, and that the Lord always blesses a cheerful giver.

If you would like to give

If you would like to give to the Celebrate Offering, send a cheque made payable to CREW Trust, addressed to CELEBRATE, Holly Trees, Bull Lane, Chalfont St Peter, Gerrards Cross, Bucks SL9 8RZ.

The Celebrate Offering is put through our registered charity CREW Trust where it will be passed through to the special Celebrate Fund.

Case histories

» Hannah Zafar
» CAFOD