Legacy Giving - Making a Gift in your Will

A gift in your Will can keep our Church alive in our community—and transform its future.

Many of us give a proportion of our income to support our church every week. But we are stewards of everything we own, not just our income. As Christians, we are encouraged to give a proportion of all that we have to support the mission and ministry of our church too.

Writing a Will helps secure the future of the people you love. Leaving a gift in your Will helps secure the future of our church.

Your Will

Thinking about life after death should not be difficult for Christians! Make sure you are prepared practically as well as spiritually. Whatever your age, write a will and keep it up to date.
If you die without a Will, your loved ones could face trouble and expense, and a court could decide how your property is divided and who cares for your children. Writing a will is an important part of ensuring that your estate is managed as you wish.
Many Christians give regularly and proportionately from their income, Why not give proportionately from your estate too?
A gift in your Will helps St Mary’s to live out our mission in this community.
It’s a way to thank God for all the gifts of life and faith - and to hand them on to future generations.
Leaving a gift in your Will can also reduce the amount of inheritance tax you pay. Inheritance tax isn’t paid on . gifts to charities and if 10% or more of an estate is given to charity, the rate of inheritance tax is reduced from 40% to 36%.

Your Gift

We welcome all legacies, however big or small, and we promise to use your gift to make a difference in our parish.

PCCs generally use legacies to help fund significant development projects in the parish, whether buildings, equipment or staff. Since needs change over the years, you are encouraged to leave a gift for the general purposes of the parish. PCCs will often discuss with executors the most appropriate use of the gift in the light of current projects and your areas of interest in the church (e.g., children and youth, music, buildings).

Your Vision

Sometimes parish life can feel like an endless cycle of raising money to pay bills. Leaving a gift to our church in your Will lets you think about your vision for our church’s future.

Would you like to see more children and families coming to St Mary’s? Are you passionate about the music in our worship? Do you think we should reach out to more young people, elderly people or people in need? Are you passionate about our global mission? Do you want to help save our building for the future? Do you simply want more people to experience the love of God?

Since needs change over the years, you are encouraged to leave a gift for the general purposes of the parish. But the PCC will do its best to use your legacy to fund specific areas of our ministry.

Three Steps to Making a Gift in Your Will…

We encourage every adult member of our church to:

Make a Will and review it regularly.
Read the Church of England's legacy information booklet.
Consider leaving a proportion of your estate or a cash sum as a gift to St Mary’s in your Will

You can find out more by visiting the Church of England’s legacy website, by emailing legacy@churchofengland.org or by calling the Church of England Legacy Team on 08445 870875

Remember to consult your solicitor if your affairs are complex or if you have any questions.

If you have an immediate question about leaving a legacy to St Mary’s, please contact our Treasurer Matt Ryan, who will be happy to help you find the answers you need.

Hello and welcome to St Mary's. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here

Planning your Visit

A Warm Welcome!

The following information is specifically for those planning to visit us for the first time, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We meet at St Mary's Church in Church Lane, Wendover, for our two main Sunday services each week, which start at 9.00am and 10.45am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you will be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team.

Plan your journey

Accessibility

There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There are disabled toilets in the Church Centre, which you can find through the door towards the front of the church on the left hand side.

Our Main Sunday Services

Our 9am Holy Communion is a more traditional service, including music and hymns in an established style but using up-to-date language. It will probably appeal to those who are used to more formal Anglican worship. There is no provision for children at this service.

Our 10.45am Sunday Worship services follow a more informal style with contemporary worship songs. These services are typically most suitable for families. Children of all ages are very welcome and we have activities for younger children at the back of church. On the second and fourth Sundays of each month, we share Communion at this service. The first and third Sundays do not include Communion and are designed to be rich in teaching and learning for people of all ages - from 2 to 92!

You can find details of our other services here.

Getting Connected

Small Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out our Church Life section on this website to see if there’s a group that you'd like to join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church, why not sign up to serve on a team. We are always looking for volunteers to get involved in different aspects of our work.

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! St Mary's is open every day from 9am to 6pm and you would be very welcome to come and have a look around before you come to a Sunday service. In the meantime, please fill in the form below if there is anything you'd like to know.

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

We hope that whoever you are and wherever you come from, you will feel at home at our church.

Best Wishes,

Sally
Rev Sally Moring