Giving Financially

We don’t talk about money much at Swords Baptist Church but the money that is collected through weekly collection or standing orders that people have set up allow us to run the various ministries of the church. We believe that God ‘owns the cattle on a thousand hills’ and therefore is able to supply all that we need.

Rather than talking about how much one should give, we would call on everyone in our Church family to be generous. We believe it is not so much a matter of the percentage of my income that I give so much as it is whether I am being generous from my heart. Can I look at what I give and feel I am being generous with my time, my money and my relationships as God is generous to me?

How can I give financially?
Many of our members and regular attendees have set up a bank standing order so that their giving is more regular and so that as a registered charity we can benefit from a tax-back scheme which allows us to reclaim all the tax-part of your giving.

Account details
For financial planning and organizing the ministries of the church it is probably most helpful if a person sets up a recurring monthly direct debit using the details below.

Account name: Swords Baptist Church
IBAN: IE49 BOFI 9007 0374 9808 14

Anonymity
Anonymity is a very important part of the donating process. We have adopted a policy in SBC where only the Treasurer and the trusted person who performs the monthly bank reconciliation and tax back documentation (see below) is aware of individual donations. No one from the leadership team sees what individuals give. Please be assured that details of your donation will never be communicated to anyone else for any reason.

To increase anonymity we can also allocate you a Donor Reference number instead of putting your name in as the message to appear on our bank statement.

Tax Back
The Irish Revenue Charities tax back scheme is a very important source of income for us. If an individual makes a donation of over €250 in the year, we can claim a refund of tax paid on that donation by the donor. It means that your giving goes even further in supporting the work of SBC, please see below for a worked example of how much your donation could increase. All you have to do is complete Revenue Form CHY3, which we will send to you.

Example : If you set up a direct debit for €250 per month then your donation will be worth an additional 44.93%; we can claim €112.33 tax back from revenue – meaning your original donation is now worth €362.33 to us!

For more information, please get in touch with us on our Contact page.

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We meet at The Riasc Centre Building (details here) for our Sunday Service starting at 10:45 am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There are disabled toilets in the main foyer.

Our Service

The main service begins at 10:45 am with a warm welcome from one of our team members. Then follows a time of corporate worship and singing, led by our band. We typically have 2 or 3 songs lasting approximately 15 minutes. Sometimes a person might pray out loud or read a passage from the Bible. This might seem strange the first time you hear it but it’s all part of our connecting with God. We then share news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church. One of our leaders will then give a sermon that is Bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then finish with a final worship song.

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What about my kids?

We have a great programme lined up for kids of all ages:

Creche (0 months to 3 years). Children under 12 months are welcome but must be accompanied by their parent/grown-up at all times.
Kidzone Juniors (Junior, Senior Infants, 1st and 2nd Class )
Kidzone Middle (3rd and 4th Class)
Kidzone Seniors (5th and 6th Class)
Impact Xtra (Secondary School age students)

Children stay with their parent or guardian at the start of the service for the welcome, songs and notices. We really value worshiping God all together as a family. At the end of the notices someone will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups.

The kids group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, Bible stories, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes.

Getting Connected

Home Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Small Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team.

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.

Leadership


Johnny Holland
Lead Pastor

We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

Best Wishes