What is Gift Day?

A history of generosity at Figtree Anglican Church

The story of Figtree Anglican is one of providence and generosity. Figtree Anglican is rich with resource and has been a blessing to others because of a history of the saints being generous with the provision of God. FAC’s Annual Gift Day has been an opportunity to walk in the legacy of generosity and continue to see Figtree Anglican accomplish various projects for the good of the Kingdom of God. 

 

Each year, Gift Day provides an opportunity to contribute to various projects across our church and beyond. Past Gift Day projects have contributed to essential maintenance on our church property, supported new or existing ministries or provided opportunities to share our resources with others.

 

Watch the video below to hear from our Senior Minister, Robin Kinstead, about the projects for Gift Day Day 2024:

2024 Gift Day Projects

Generations Minister (seed funding)

$50,000

This Gift Day, we are seeking seed funding for our Generations Minister to serve across our church.

Times of transition, especially from school to tertiary education and into the workforce, present church families with the most vulnerable season within which people can fall away from fellowship.*

Our Ministry Team and Parish Council serve with you in seeking to present “Jesus for everyone” as God grows His disciples at Figtree in faithfulness and fruitfulness. A Generations Minister serving on team, would be dedicated to enabling, empowering, and raising up our young people for service in partnership with our ministries to children, youth, and across the broader Figtree church family.

They will sow into cultivating intergenerational ministry relationships, equipping and preparing our church family for changes, managing critical moments of transition, helping to create rites of passage, and spearheading the development of a ‘birth to graduation’ philosophy firmly rooted in the promises of God.

Giving to this seed-funding project is an investment in the intergenerational health of our church fellowship.

*Footnote: This is confirmed by research undertaken by McCrindle, Barna, and NCLS data, cited in the articles “Intergenerational Ministry” and “Retention and Transition” by Sarie King at effectiveministry.org.

Kids Church Outdoor Ministry Area

$20,000

This exciting project focuses on creating an outdoor space on the grassed area west of our church complex, located off the corridor that leads from St Peter’s Hall. It will be a space for our Kids Church-aged children (5-11) to meet in small groups to explore the Bible and connect with nature.

The intention is that this is not a ‘free-for-all’ playground, but rather a space for leaders and children to gather as an extension of their learning space. It is envisioned as a space that will offer hands-on, kinaesthetic Bible teaching and exploring. For want of a better phrase, it will be ‘an outdoor Bible experience’.

A cubby house can double as Bethlehem’s stable, or an opportunity to tell the story of Jesus healing Peter’s mother-in-law; a fort can represent the Tower of Babel, or Nehemiah rebuilding the temple; a small mound can be the scene of the Sermon on the Mount - placing a pipe in the centre of the mound allows the story of David hiding from Saul; while a boat, while fun to play in, can tell the stories of Jonah, Jesus calming a big storm, teaching from the boat, or walking on water … the list goes on.

Giving to this project will allow FAC to broaden its Kids Church program, providing an outdoor space in which children can play and simultaneously engage in the stories of the Bible in a healthy and safe environment.

Creative Arts - FAC Recording Studio

$20,000

We’re so excited to present to you a Creative Arts Gift Day project that will transform the storeroom at the rear of the auditorium into a recording studio complete with a vocal booth and industry standard acoustic treatment. The storeroom has benefited from a makeover to equip it to operate the tech for our livestreamed Sunday services.

It’s also become a space where Figtree Youth and Figtree Worship projects have been recorded, and is used for the weekly update video editing, voice-over recordings, creative Bible reading recordings, and a creative space to meet for songwriters and the team to record ideas for new songs.

This upgrade will have multiple benefits. It will provide:

• a space to produce high-quality music and audio for the many ministries that operate at FAC.
• improved audio on the livestream.
• an industry-standard studio space that could be hired by our community, creating a revenue stream. It would be a wonderful point of connection with the community, encouraging more creative people to engage with our church.

The project will also allow us to record, in-house and at high quality, an album of new songs written by the Figtree Worship team. This will be the launchpad to send these biblically rich songs around Australia and potentially the world, where they can be used by churches and other ministries to sing, and impart, the truths of scripture.

SRE (Scripture in public schools)

$20,000

This Gift Day, we have the opportunity to partner with our SRE (Special Religious Education) teachers and our Lord as we financially support the ministry of teaching God’s word to children in Kindy to Year 6 at our local primary schools.

SRE has been in our public schools for generations. It nurtures the child’s spiritual wellbeing, allows children to have their searching questions about God answered, helps shape their personal values, broadens their education and provides extra pastoral care for students and families … to name just a few.

FAC is involved in all six of the primary schools in our parish area: Mt Kembla PS, Unanderra PS, Figtree PS, Figtree Heights PS, Farmborough Road PS, and Nareena Hills PS. Your partnership by giving financially to this tax-deductible ministry provides wonderful resources to our team of SRE teachers and the children who attend, and has eternal value as the good news of Jesus is shared each week to around 320 children.

In these days, more than ever, children need to know of the love of Christ and that “greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends,” (John 15:13). Once a child hears that they are loved by Jesus in this way, they have the only foundation they can stand on all their days.

*This is a tax-deductible project. If you’d like to receive a tax receipt for your gift please send an email to our Finance Officer, Carolyn Benge, at carolyn.benge@myfac.org.au

FAC Air Conditioning

$35,000

The air-conditioning system in the auditorium/CMC is now 20 years old and coming to the end of its scheduled life expectancy. We might be blessed to get another five years’ service from it, or it could begin failing within the next 12 months. Either way, it will need to be replaced sometime soon at a cost that is projected to run into six figures.

This Gift Day project is part of a multi-year campaign to raise the funds needed to replace the auditorium/CMC air-conditioning. It is offering a gift for the Lord’s building at Figtree, maintaining good stewardship of the wonderful legacy He has given us to preserve and pass on in good condition to a future generation.

Giving to this project will allow FAC to continue to provide a comfortable environment for all - both those in our church family and the wider community - who use our foyer, auditorium and children’s ministry centre.

Ways to Give

Collect a Gift Day projects booklet during any of our Sunday services or from the church office, and fill out the form on the final page. Choose your giving method (online, direct deposit, cash or credit card) and return your form to FAC on or before Sunday 24 March. A giving form must be completed to quality for a tax receipt if giving to SRE. 

Online Giving

Click the buttons below to give securely online via credit card. Giving online will incur a small processing fee.

Direct Deposit

Your Gift Day donation can be sent straight to the Figtree Anglican account via direct deposit. Providing your name to us is optional, however this will assist us to track your giving. Direct Deposit giving can be sent to :

Figtree Anglican Church | BSB 032 686 | Acc 141 209

Please use the following codes when giving to assist us in allocating the funds to the correct project and include your surname in the reference. (eg GD NGM Smith)

 

Generations Minister - GD GM

Kids Church Outdoor Ministry Area - GD OMA

Creative Arts Recording Studio - GD CARS

SRE (Scripture in public schools) - GD SRE

FAC air conditioning - GD AC

 

Cash or credit card

Cash donations for Gift Day projects can be dropped into the church office during the week or placed in the offertory boxes during any of the Sunday Services. Please place Gift Day donations into an envelope with your giving form. 

To give via credit card please visit the church office during the week. Giving via credit card will incur a small processing fee.

For assistance or questions about giving, please contact us at connect@myfac.org.au or phone 4272 1322 during business hours.

Copyright © Figtree Anglican Church

Address: 4-10 Gibsons Rd, Figtree, NSW, 2525

figtree.church | 4272 1322 | connect@myfac.org.au