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Funding the Future
There is growing interest in the Trust's projects from those involved in the
church, business, education and the community.
Further financial support is needed if this ministry is to
continue its extraordinary growth and make a positive contribution to the
community.
If you would like to support this ministry, donations may be made to the
Trust by cheque. If you have CharityCard Account, you may make a donation
directly by phone, or online by clicking on the Secure Online Giving link
below.
Secure
Online Giving with CharityCard
Your contribution would help ...
A Growing International Movement
This is a world-wide ministry of hospitality and prayer with over two hundred
venues. Quiet Gardens offer local, occasional days of refreshment and retreat in
private homes and gardens and other venues in both urban and rural settings.
They provide a context for prayer and reflection with opportunities for learning
about Christian spirituality.
Since the first Quiet Garden opened in 1992 The Quiet Garden Trust has helped
to meet the social and spiritual needs of local communities.
The Development of the Quiet Garden Network
The administration of this international trust is handled at the small centre at
Stoke Poges by part-time staff, who actively promote this ministry of
hospitality and prayer, respond to and follow up enquiries, and produce the
biannual newsletter and other publicity material. As people affiliate to The
Quiet Garden Trust they both welcome and require ongoing support. Such
encouragement is crucial in this ministry of hospitality, but with the
remarkable growth over the last four years, it is becoming increasingly
difficult to provide an effective service from one small centre.
Building up Regional Networks
We are now building up a regional
network so that individuals will have access to the necessary support more
locally. In order to do this, key personnel need training and equipping by the
Trust staff to act as regional co-ordinators and to enable them to communicate
effectively with the gardens in their areas of responsibility.
Our resources are stretched to the limit. At the present time we have
received enquiries from over 300 people, both in the UK and overseas. These are
from people thinking about offering their home or other similar locations as a
Christian quiet space. All these people are sent a comprehensive Information
Pack.
The centre staff:
 | promote Quiet Garden ministry
| respond to the initial contact and
| involve the regional co-ordinator in the follow up process of visiting and
encouraging those seriously interested in this ministry.
| offer support to and share information with the regional co-ordinators
| monitor the overall development of the regions
| maintain the integrity of all Trust business and contacts
| handle the income and expenditure of the Trust
| | | | | | |
Responding appropriately and effectively to these people presents a considerable
challenge to the organisation's existing resources.
The Overall Funding of the Trust
Each Quiet Garden is a stand-alone financial unit, which pays a modest
affiliation fee to The Quiet Garden Trust, but which receives no funding from
the Trust. Visitors to Quiet Gardens generally make a small donation, and in
some instances part or all of this is forwarded to the Trust to help with core
funding.
Keeping this ministry low cost at the local level is at the heart of the
vision, but clearly affiliation fees and these individual donations do not cover
the costs of nurturing this work.
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