Share 21: tales of the unexpected

share

the stewardship magazine 21

tales of the unexpected how God works through unlikely people

Scott Harrison - reinventing charity Andy Hawthorne goes head to head help for ministers in debt

transforming generosity

In today’s hectic world even the best intentions can sometimes be forgotten.

Payroll Giving from Stewardship stops your giving being one of them. c Give straight away, on payday, like clockwork c Gifts come direct from your salary, before tax c Basic Rate tax payers – a £10 gift only ‘costs’ you £8. Higher Rate tax payers even less c Give to any UK charity c Easy set up for employees and employers

Find out how you can transform your giving, as an employee or employer, by visiting stewardship.org.uk/pg

about us We are Stewardship, a charity that effectively releases resources to support individuals, charities and organisations worldwide. Our mission is to enable you to live and give generously, advancing God’s Kingdom.

We believe that generosity is transformational, for the giver and for the receiver. Our work inspires and supports a generous resourcing community, with transformational results.

We are delighted to partner with you in your journey of generosity. contact us PO Box 99, Loughton, Essex, IG10 3QJ 020 8502 5600 enquiries@stewardship.org.uk stewardship.org.uk You can contact the editor by emailing editor@stewardship.org.uk Editor: Craig Borlase Design: adeptdesign.co.uk Stewardship is the operating name of Stewardship Services (UKET) Limited, a registered charity in England and Wales no. 234714 and a company limited by guarantee no. 90305

Cover image: Scott Harrison. Photographed

by Malone and Company Photography

editorial I hope that you will recognise the hallmarks of God at work: lives transformed at every stage of the journey.

God moves in unexpected ways through unexpected people.

Those eight words make up the theme for this issue of Share magazine, but we don’t expect to be able to do much more than scratch the surface. After all, whole libraries could be filled with books based on the subject – as the Bible makes perfectly clear.

Much like the workings of God Himself, generosity is a topic that resists easy definition and simplistic solutions. For those on the journey towards a more generous life, there are few absolutes and no time to sit back in self-congratulation.

Instead, we take the next step, and the next, and the next – moving on to whatever unexpected plan God next has in store.

Since joining Stewardship three years ago, I have met many – though by no means enough! – of you. You have surprised me, inspired me and left me scratching my head in awed wonder at the lengths to which you are driven by compassion and generosity. And I suspect that all of you would agree that the people God chooses to help extend His kingdom are often the least expected.

And so, as you read this issue, I hope that you feel encouraged. Even if you’re not an ex-criminal, ex-nightclub promoter or ex-associate of some reckless aristocrat, I hope that you will recognise the hallmarks of God at work: lives transformed at every stage of the journey.

Michael O’Neill, CEO Stewardship 3

news in brief

debts cancelled

street justice

French bank Crédit Municipal de Paris has written off the debts of 3,500 of its customers.

The 350-year-old bank, known as Mont-de-piété (the bank of the poor), gave the unexpected gift to those with debts of 150 Euros or less as part of its anniversary celebrations.

When a London traffic warden was sacked for being too kind and not issuing enough tickets, a local vicar came to his defence.

Reverend Canon David Reindorp wrote in support of Hakim Berkani’s claim of unfair dismissal, which was upheld in January. “I feel vindicated and happy,” said Mr Berkani.

“I always tried to do the correct, legal and decent thing by motorists and residents.”

The bank was founded in 1637 by a philanthropic doctor who wanted to give access to fair banking to the Parisian poor.

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starting young

starting even younger

Credit Action is building on the success of its money education programme for 11-16 year olds, DebtCred. 95% of teachers whose students took part in the free workshops reported that they believed pupils had gained valuable new budgeting skills. creditaction.org.uk

After a classmate’s mum died in late 2010, two little boys gave up their birthday presents to help a local hospice. Harvey (6) and Isaac (3) Postma asked their friends to give money to St Elizabeth’s Hospice in Ipswich instead, raising an impressive £578 – which is being used to buy a Wii for the family room.

features...

16-21

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mobile budgeting With personal and household debt in the UK rising, the Moneybasics Spendometer, designed by our friends at Credit Action, is proving a popular daily budgeting app. Users can log their spending patterns, set upper limits and keep track with a ‘going out’ function to help with accidental overspending on nights out. www.spendometer.co.uk

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Stewardship in action

a history of transformation

10-11

the evangelist and the prodigal

12-13 introducing give.net 14-15 l ife after debt 16-21

Scott Harrison: reinventing charity

give with stewardship

22-23 an unlikely partnership 24-25 legal & financial roundup 26-27

Wherever you see this icon it means that you can use your Stewardship account to support the charity featured on the page. Log on to your account – or phone us – and use the reference number.

28-29

surviving recession More Than Gold: the final straight

30-31

40acts in action

The magazine is printed on paper from farmed forests: for each tree felled, another is planted. The paper is ­­­­chlorine-free and environmentally friendly.

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Stewardship in action a time to celebrate We’re pleased to announce that Stewardship will be partnering with HOPE Together as they gear up for a year of mission in 2014 – helping support churches as they impact their communities. And with the Queen’s Jubilee this year, what better opportunity to start making new connections with neighbours?

How do you celebrate sixty years of public service? As the longest-lived and secondlongest-reigning-Monarch of the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth has stayed true to the promise she made as a 21-year-old princess:

She urged listeners to embrace these qualities and see families healed, friendships restored and communities reconciled.

Little wonder, therefore, that HOPE Together – now in its fourth year of encouraging and equipping UK churches “I declare before you all that my towards word and deed mission whole life, whether it be long or in their local communities – sees the Diamond Jubilee as short, shall be devoted to your an unmissable opportunity for service and the service of our building community. great imperial family to which we all belong.”

And at the heart of their plan for this year is a simple, but Decades later and Queen effective concept. Lunch. And Elizabeth used her latest not just any lunch, but a very Christmas broadcast to remind big one – with more than a the world of the vital role that kindness, forgiveness and hope million invited guests. play within the Christian faith.

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The fourth annual Big Lunch will take place on Sunday 3rd June 2012, and Buckingham Palace has announced that the Big Jubilee Lunch will be a part of the official royal programme for the four-day national holiday. Across the country, neighbours will gather to eat, form new friendships and celebrate a life marked by generous service.

It is, as Roy Crowne (HOPE’s Executive Director) says: “...a calendar moment and an unmissable opportunity to make connections in your area, to be part of building up your community and to

use opportunities for outreach through our words and actions. This could be just the start of 2012 community engagement with the Olympic celebrations following on. As followers of Jesus we should be in the business of community-building and sharing our hope with others.”

it is hoped that members of every denomination will use creative ways to get involved or possibly offer their catering facilities.

Churches are uniquely placed to act. As one of the few institutions found in nearly every single town, village and city,

“The scale of the Royal Wedding celebrations all over the country proved that the public love

But instead of being daunted by the prospect of such an undertaking, churches should think back to certain events of last year.

at the heart of their plan for this year is a simple, but effective concept.

Lunch. And not just any lunch, but a very big one – with more than a million invited guests.

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street parties,” said Steve Clifford, Chair of HOPE and General Director of the Evangelical Alliance. “Communities really come together over a national celebration like this. In many places people were getting to know neighbours they had never spoken to before and creating a shared local spirit. Christians can be at the heart of all this.”

HOPE and the Evangelical Alliance will provide practical advice and inspiration to encourage church involvement over the coming months, and you can find out more about some of those resources in the adjacent panel.

Meanwhile, two decades on from the Queen’s famous ‘annus horribilis’ speech, there is every possibility that – while difficulty, suffering and tragedy may still arise – 2012 will be known as a year where communities were made stronger through the generosity of Christians.

Find out more by visiting hopetogether.org.uk

Churches are uniquely placed to act.

HOPE Harvest – coming soon To celebrate our partnership, Stewardship have contributed some brand new home group studies to HOPE Together’s Harvest Resource book. Officially launched at Spring Harvest, the book is packed with inspirational ideas to revitalise the Harvest season; bringing opportunities to share the news of God’s abundant generosity both inside and outside our churches. stewardship.org.uk/harvest

HOPE Together 20094061 8

Photo credits: Pg 6: © Royal Household/John Swannell. Pg 7, Top left: John Garghan, flickr.com/photos/johngarghan Bottom Left: Phil Shirley, flickr.com/photos/phil_shirley/. Pg 8, Adam Burt: flickr.com/photos/aburt

from the archives...

Sir George Pigot Sir George Pigot, 5th Baronet Pigot of Patshull, was the richest and most aristocratic of the group of men who founded the United Kingdom Evangelization Trust (now Stewardship).

Born in 1850 in Newmarket, by the 1880s he was married with a family, but was also an intimate of the Prince of Wales’ circle.

He frequented racecourses and casinos and indulged himself in every worldly pleasure.

He seemed an unlikely candidate for Christianity, yet shortly before his death he remembered his conversion. “I lived on the pleasures of this world till 1897… I had been the object of much prayer by my dear Mother, who had been converted although I did not know it.” Having agreed to accompany her to church for communion, Sir George’s life changed forever. “I felt what I had never felt before, a realisation that I was in the presence of God. Soon after this, I found One who had been seeking for me all my life.”

The change was dramatic. Sir George became an active member of the Bridge Hall Assembly church in Reading. At a baptismal service, the Pigot family were accompanied by several titled ladies. To show their dedication to their new Christian life, they left their jewels in the baptistry.

Sir George built a Gospel Hall in the grounds of his home, and from 1900, along with his gardeners – all of them Christians – he went

of d permission roduced by kin Patshull Photograph rep ronet Pigot of Ba nt rre cu , ot Sir George Pig

out into the surrounding areas evangelising and preaching the word. He was impressed by the Counties Evangelisation Work tent revivals, but believed more people could be reached with the use of modern technology. By 1906, he had built four Gospel Cars for his mobile evangelistic campaign in Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and Hampshire.

Sir George died in 1934, having transformed the lives of countless people with his preaching and outreach. From dissolute aristocrat to passionate servant of God, he demonstrated the power of faith in action.

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“I was a highsalaried chartered surveyor, and then became a church minister in debt.�

Ignoring the post. Turning off the phone.

Feelings of depression. Avoiding social situations. These are just some of the symptoms commonly linked to debt. Yet research has revealed that more and more people are struggling with serious debt issues. For many senior UK church leaders, things are no different.

we felt we had no other choice; we chose more debt rather than allow our children to go without 14

Sadly, many church leaders who suffer with personal finance problems do so in silence, as Julian, an ordained minister explains: “As a chartered surveyor in Local Government, I enjoyed a good salary and loans with preferential rates.

“Then God called me into the ministry. Living by faith in Bible College was somewhat different!” It appeared that his only option was to restructure his debts and take on a second job whilst still working for the church.

“We ended up using credit cards to buy groceries, we felt we had no other choice; we chose more debt rather than allow our children to go without.”

This is how Julian’s story begins, as one of many UK Church ministers who have suffered personal finance problems in silence during recent years. And Julian isn’t alone. Our own anecdotal research suggests that debt amongst senior church leaders and ministers is rising, with many feeling forced to suffer in silence.

“Being in debt is a massive taboo subject especially for a church leader – who can you confide in? You worry that your ministry will be affected if people in your church learn of your struggle and not everyone has a family friend they can turn to.”

The great thing that CAP did for us was to give us hope: hope that we could sort out the debt, hope that it wouldn’t last forever. There is a way out of debt.

For Julian, the lifeline came when a friend referred him to CAP, a national Christian debtcounselling charity, who quickly worked to turn his situation around.

“The great thing that CAP did for us was to give us hope: hope that we could sort out the debt, hope that it wouldn’t last forever. There is a way out of debt.”

And now Stewardship, together with CAP have launched ‘CAP Money Ministers’. The new money advice service is designed especially for senior church leaders and offers a completely confidential service with access to CAP’s award winning debt-counselling.

To read the rest of Julian’s story or to visit the CAP Money Ministers website go to: capmoney.org/ministers

If you are a church minister and need help with money management, contact CAP Money Ministers’ confidential helpline on 01274 760780.

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the reinvention of charity When President Obama mentions your work by name and Will and Jada Smith forgo birthday gifts to raise over $100,000, your charity can rest a little easy, right? Not if you’re Scott Harrison, founder and CEO of charity: water – or any of the billion people they still intend to help.

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B

elieve it or not, the aim of solving the world’s water crisis is not the only item on charity: water’s agenda. As Scott explains, the US nonprofit organisation exists “to bring clean drinking water to one billion people and restore faith in giving, to reinvent charity and bring people back to the table of generosity.”

It’s a challenge of epic proportions, and – fittingly – is the result of a remarkable God-scripted transformation.

“I grew up in the church and was very active until about 18,” explains Scott. “I was filled with faith and living it out. Then there were ten years of rebellion, of doing all the things that I hadn’t been allowed to do.” That season away from God was played out in New York – in high-end nightclubs and on Caribbean islands reached by private jets. It was, he admits, ‘painfully cliché’.

“After 10 years I had a moment of introspection. I was dating a model, owned a Rolex watch, a BMW, a grand piano and a golden retriever.

I had ticked the boxes of success... and there was a hole, an emptiness.”

It was a moment of revelation that changed everything.

“I saw that I would never find happiness, purpose or fulfilment in the things that I was chasing. There would never be enough girls, never 17

be enough money, never be enough fame or status.

I looked at people who had more of all of that – more money, more girls, more status – and they were miserable.”

And so, thanks to the unfailing grace of God (as well as the writings of A.W. Tozer), Scott’s journey changed course. He abandoned the life and trappings of a nightclub promoter and reconnected with his faith. And like the younger son in the parable, he found that returning home was far simpler than he might have thought: “What was surprising was how easy it was to come back. I hadn’t lost my faith, I’d just lost obedience. I’d disobeyed for ten years, not turned into an atheist.”

It is not only wayward nightclub promoters who might consider selfishness a virtue and ambition-at-allcosts, an essential. There are so many of us who – to a degree – subscribe to a “me first” philosophy that it barely registers as a problem. And yet throughout the whole of Scripture we see the same lesson being taught: God calling His people to turn away from living purely for themselves and find instead the true freedom that comes from following Him. And as that first domino falls we see that selflessness leads to compassion, which leads to generosity, which leads to the 18

transformation and restoration we so deeply crave.

A year or so after he returned, that sequence began in earnest for Scott. He was sharing a cramped cabin with cockroaches and crew members on board a hospital ship. They sailed up and down the West African coast for two years performing vital surgeries as part of the Mercy Ships charity. Volunteering as a photojournalist, Scott saw extreme poverty firsthand, encounters which left him in pieces, run raw by compassion.

My friends weren’t giving. Many of them claimed that charities were broken, that they were inefficient.

What’s more, he witnessed – like his return to faith – the relative ease with which lives can be transformed.

Specifically he saw in the stagnant ponds and arduous, dangerous journeys lugging dirty H20 back to the most basic of homes, an issue that was right at the heart of so much suffering: water. Fix that, he realised, and life is almost instantly transformed.

But how to solve a problem like water – where one billion people lack access to the very liquid we hardly ever think

about? A colossal issue like this would need a massive response from people, a deluge of generosity. Yet, among his peers Scott found that charity was held in particularly low regard.

“My friends weren’t giving.

Many of them claimed that charities were broken, that they were inefficient.

They disliked the lack of transparency and felt there was no connection to the people that were being helped.”

Many of these arguments were mere excuses, but “everybody seemed to have a horror story of one charity that spent 80% of its money on its staff and only 20% on its programme.” And so, in order to transform the lives of one in eight people on the planet, the plan was hatched to reinvent charity itself.

So it is not surprising to find that charity: water does things differently. First they commit to financial transparency, which looks like this: you want to give to a project? Fine – 100% of your money will go to the field (even the 4% credit card fee that the bank will take out of your donation).

All other costs – from wages to marketing, printer toner to that 4% credit card fee – are funded by a group of private donors, foundations and companies.

Secondly, they like to show where donations have gone...

precisely where they have gone. Once a project has been delivered, photos and GPS coordinates are uploaded onto Google Maps on the charity: water website. Forget the idea of an appeal raising money for a nebulous general fund – charity: water donors can know within 10 feet where in the world their money has been put to use.

to rival Nike and Apple and Coca Cola.”

Five years on and charity: water is thriving. In its first year it raised less than $1million. In 2011 that figure was around $30million. With a big staff?

No. Charity: water has a fundraising team of just two – with no fundraising director (“...we’ve been trying to find one for 18 months but

fundraised for charity: water – giving up birthdays, climbing mountains, swimming the English Channel, walking across America, eating rice and beans.

“We’ve found that if we can inspire others to catch the vision they can take personal ownership. We just give them very simple tools so that they can be effective

Photograph by Malone and Company Photography

If we were to build a charity to solve the global water crisis we would need to build an epic brand – a brand to rival Nike and Apple and Coca Cola.

Finally, says Scott, “I wanted to build a brand. Charities were awful at branding and marketing. Their websites were among the worst of any sector in the world. They didn’t seem to be very good at telling stories visually or telling them simply. If we were to build a charity to solve the global water crisis we would need to build an epic brand – a brand

just haven’t found the right person” explains Scott.)

They must be quite some fundraisers, yes?

Again the answer is ‘no’. “It’s not that they’re that good and it’s not that I’m that good – what we’ve done is to outsource our fundraising to our supporters. So we have 11,000 people that have

in fundraising – they’re the ones that do it... and that’s the secret to our fundraising success – outsourcing it to our supporters, empowering and rewarding them as they and their entire community can see what they have done. The seeing is very important.

We’re not telling them, but showing them what they’ve made possible.”

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if we can inspire others to catch the vision they can take personal ownership.

And it works. The average fundraiser for charity: water raises about $1,000. Some, like Hollywood A-lister Will Smith lend their name and profile to bring in more significant sums, but charity: water has relied on the personal connection rather than the lure of celebrity. As reported in the last edition of Share, the generosity of individuals like 9-year-old Rachel Beckwith has inspired others to give in staggeringly generous ways.

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And here we arrive at the third item on the charity: water agenda – to bring people back to the table of generosity. That idea of seeing the impact of one’s giving plays a pivotal part in the process. As Scott says, the key to transformation in this area “has to do with breaking through cynicism.

A lot of people believe that charity is broken, that we give all this money to Africa but what really changes? They pontificate in generalities, and it’s easier that way as it

lets them off the hook... But people do want to give – they want to help, they just want to believe in the process.

And I think they deserve a glimpse of the lives they’ve transformed.”

All this talk of epic brands and charity reinvented – does it mean that Scott scorns all those frumpy looking other charities, like a nightclub promoter skipping to the head of the queue? Does he, for example, believe that charities can outlast their aging supporters?

“I think so, but I think they need to keep reinventing themselves. The traditional model of fundraising doesn’t seem to work so well today.”

Scott cites direct mail as an example. While it has been a tried and tested strategy for years, its effectiveness is on the wane.

“If you or I get some direct mail we’re less likely to open it, write a cheque and put it in the envelope, put on a stamp and walk to the mailbox. Our generation is used to giving online and using mobiles, the tools of our time. I think that there are organisations that have survived for decades – the Salvation Army and Red Cross (who raised over $100m

for the Haiti earthquake just via mobile giving). Some of these groups have learned to meet their new donors where they’re at.”

Some, but not all, right?

“When I look at a charity’s website or do some probono analysis, most of their problems lie around storytelling. They fail to tell their story simply. We’ve all heard someone talk about a cause that they are passionate about and they go on for 5 minutes and we are still left at the end wondering what exactly it is that they do.

There’s no excuse for that.

There is a lot of complexity in what charity: water does – just as there is complexity in every organisation – but donors need to be able to tell a twoyear-old what you do.

“If you don’t have a simple story to tell it really doesn’t work in new media. Attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. Attention spans are in 140 characters, so if you don’t have a version of your mission statement that can fit in a tweet, you have a problem.

And the world is getting more and more visual. The number one thing that people click on is video, then photos, then maybe – a distant third – are articles. Traditional charities

charity: water is registered with Stewardship to receive donations in the UK: charitywater.org

have to make that leap to the visual.”

As well as the process and the packaging, there’s another side to charity: water that could – and should – inspire others: a singular lack of competitiveness. Scott talks of working with 25 other charities to drill fresh water holes, of making it a personal priority to support as many charity start-ups as possible and frequently recommending alternative charities to those who don’t find charity: water appealing. When he preaches the value of generosity, he’s obviously a convert.

But doesn’t he worry about market share?

“No. We think there’s all the money in the world.”

And that’s it. Charity – which, as Scott explains “comes from the word caritas meaning love” – is not illequipped, insignificant or quaint. It does not need to be apologised for, protected or told to wait in line. Charity – love itself – is more than a match for the problems that surround us. The challenge lies in opening the eyes and hearts of others to understand that truth for themselves.

charity: water 20122503 21

surviving the storm These days it seems like you can’t move for national media headlines proclaiming the perils facing the economy.

Depending on your oracle, we’re either entering the ‘dangerzone’, skirting a ‘double-dip’ or facing an imminent depression.

So, given all the gloom, what hope do charities have of going the distance?

Despite a report by Third Sector indicating that donations held up reasonably well in 2011 – with forty-three per cent of respondents indicating that their organisation’s income had risen or stayed the same – these are hard times for charities. As statutory funding is slashed and fears about the future increase, few would disagree with Mark Heasman’s (CEO of Rock UK) assessment that this is “a tough financial time and we are having to be really creative.”

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For Rock UK, that challenge was a significant factor in their decision to radically rebrand (including changing their name from Barnabas). “Much of our collateral and web stuff was out of date and needed bringing into the 21st century.” says Mark. In rebranding they found it possible to make stronger connections with their target group – 60% of whom are non-Christians.

According to Mark Glen, (CEO of HOPEHIV) a key step towards survival in today’s climate is knowing what type of charity you are, knowing what level of fundraising activity is sustainable.

There is a huge danger of trying to be something you’re not “There is a huge danger of trying to be something you’re not,” he says. “We have always wanted to spend as little on overheads in the UK as possible, so we are always time poor and have limited budgets. Once we accepted that anything requiring a lot of time was out – like events or direct marketing – we went from being able to choose from the A-Z of fundraising to the A-E.” Faced with a reduced set of options, HOPEHIV refocused their energies on something sustainable, creative and effective. Mark explains:

Mark Heasman “At our tenth anniversary we invited 150 key people – not just those who had written big cheques, but the ones who had put in time, effort and influence. We explained where and why we were going, and were really clear about what we needed to help us get there.

“We invited people to become our ambassadors – to be willing for me and others to badger them all the time, to become our hands and feet, our mouthpiece. 45 asked to hear more, 32 signed up and – three months in – we have many who are already active.

They’ve generated three events already and today it feels like we have momentum despite the economics pushing us the other way.”

Relational fundraising is surely key, as fellow Stewardship

Mark Glen

John Wilkes

recipient Counties – a charity supporting evangelists around the UK – knows well.

A rebrand helped them to communicate more clearly, but – as John Wilkes (CEO) explains – “My philosophy is that funds follow fellowship.

If we work hard at our relationship with people who have an interest in our work then they are more likely to support us. We don’t talk abut fundraising – but partnership.”

Mark Glen shares the view: “It all comes down to building genuine relationships. It’s not about mass appeals or big databases. It’s about having more of those people who will commit to the longer term rather than just giving you £10.”

Each of the three interviewees was optimistic about their chances of surviving – and

Rock UK 20097389

even growing – during the coming months. But none of them underestimates the challenges ahead.

“The biggest danger for any charity these days is to sit still,” says Mark Glen “If you do that, you will die.”

funds follow fellowship. If we work hard at our relationship with people who have an interest in our work then they are more likely to support us

rockuk.org hopehiv.org countiesuk.org

HOPEHIV 20032506

Counties 20021598 27

your reactions

This year’s 40acts has been a great success with thousands of you getting involved, doing Lent generously. Below are just a few comments from the hundreds we received. Check out Facebook, Twitter or our 40acts page to find out more.

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