The Church of England has confirmed that it will be committing a £2 million grant to the Clergy Support Trust (CST), a centuries old charity that provides financial, health and wellbeing support to members of the clergy.
The CST was founded in 1655 during the time of Oliver Cromwell, and is primarily tasked with providing confidential financial assistance to Anglican clergy in the United Kingdom and in Europe.
Last year the charity helped nearly 2,800 households with grants totalling more than £6 million.
The Church's decision to provide £2 million to the CST comes at a time when it is undergoing a wide ranging review into church finances. Part of the review also consists of examining the value 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 do so 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 very positive step forward, as the Church continues to acknowledge that more must be done."
Beneficiaries of the work of CST include Sarah, a curate whose daughter qualified for the 100 metres and the long jump at last year'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 buy vestments, a bicycle and a Macbook for writing sermons.
Josiah said, "I've got three children - two boys and a girl - and so sometimes it's a little bit difficult to make ends meet.
"After my first application [to CST], I thought 'why do you stress yourself so much trying to squeeze things in order to get money to buy certain things? When Clergy Support Trust is there to support you?'"
