A Fulwood church is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a huge cash giveaway.
Fulwood Free Methodist Church on Lightfoot Lane surprised its congregation by gifting £40 to each person or family who attended one of the Sunday anniversary services on 25 February.
Members of the congregation were asked to gift the £40 to a person or organisation in need.
Pastor Andrew Gardner said, “We have been given so much over the years, so our leadership team agreed this was a unique way to say thank you to God and to our church family.
“We have since heard stories about how people gave away their £40. Some went to Preston’s homeless shelters, another to an organisation that supports persecuted Christians in other countries. One individual was given a gift but chose to give it away again. We are confident the money has been used for good in the community and further afield.”
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The church enjoyed a full weekend of anniversary celebrations, which started with an open day where members of the public could view photos and videos from 1978 onwards.
On Saturday evening a service of thanksgiving was attended by hundreds of people including Mayor of Preston, councillor Brian Rollo. The speaker was founding pastor Rev Barrie Walton, and members representing each of the four decades stood up to share how becoming a Christian had impacted their lives.
The church is planning to create a display to share stories of how their giveaway is making a difference to those in need.
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Sunday services take place at 9.15am, 11am and 6.30pm, and are open to all. You can find more information on the Fulwood Free Methodist Church website or Facebook.