Clergy at a Chronicle Country church sought divine inspiration when it came to their latest fundraising scheme.
The Bible’s Parable of Talents forms the basis of the charity initiative in aid of the new building project at St Mary’s Church in Potton.
In the well-known parable of Jesus seen in the New Testament, a master who is leaving his home to travel entrusts his three servants with money – or talents – to invest while he is away.
He later returns and asks how they have invested his money in his absence.
In modern day Potton members of the congregation at St Mary’s will each be entrusted with £10 from church funds.
They will then be challenged to bring in as much money as possible through fundraising methods of their own choosing.
Parishioners will be invited to return with the money they have made at the church’s Harvest Festival service in October.
The Reverend Gill Smith from St Mary’s Church said: “We are hoping to build new toilets in the building and the work could cost as much as £150,000 to complete.
“We are always looking at new ways to raise money and we thought this would be a fun and unique way of getting the congregation involved.”
The clergy expect to hand out around 50 £10 notes and are looking forward to seeing how inventive the different fundraisers are with their various money-making incentives.
Mrs Smith added: “The parishioners are already aware of the basic premise but we will be giving them a more detailed rundown at church on Sunday.
“So far we have heard of all sorts of ideas, from making and selling cakes and other treats to charity sales and fundraising car washes.”
At the moment there are no toilets at the church so worshippers have to use the facilities in the church hall nearby.
Mrs Smith hopes that new toilets will mean more convenience for visitors and will improve the overall experience, especially as the Hatley Road church is popular with families.
She said: “The church is Grade 1 listed and dates back over 900 years, so of course the new facilities need to be in keeping with the original building.
“We have done some research on the history of the church and it turns out that in around 1848 there was a porch at the south side of the building which was removed.
“This was said to have had an adverse effect on the structure and we hope that we can help to bring that part of the church back to its former glory. We can’t wait to get started really.”