Contactless giving machine brings change

Christ the King Church, Birkenhead, is home to ‘The Oak Community Project’ providing affordable food bags, clothes and household items to support local people in need who are in crisis or are experiencing increased cost-of-living pressures.

The church was donated a contactless giving machine in 2024 as part of a £1.25 million Church of England project which saw over 2,200 devices given out to parishes to help make it easier for congregations to give to their church.

Before the introduction of the giving device, The Oak Community Project received around £3000 in donations each year. In the last year they have seen this increase to around £14,000 a year, an increase they believe is in part because they now have easier ways to donate by card at the church.

Rev Debbie Wilkinson (left), associate minister at Christ the King Church in Birkenhead, said:

“Giving has increased significantly since we received the contactless giving device and this has enabled us as a project to work so much more positively with other agencies for the benefit of our community.

“The machine is so easy to use. It mainly stays in our Oak Community Project, but it is portable so we will take it into our Sunday morning service, and we will use it for weddings and baptism services as well. You can change it for different campaigns, such as Men’s Breakfast or fundraising. If other churches are nervous about installing a machine, I would say please don’t be, I can highly recommend it!” 

The Oak Community Project has been running for over 15 years. Its customers are people like mum-of-two (name withheld), who was living in a women’s refuge when she accessed the church. She said it was a vital lifeline during a difficult time:

“The amount of support is amazing. Over Christmas they helped out massively, providing little things for the kids. Each week I know I can come here and get affordable food for my family and it’s easy to donate on my card. 

“It’s a massive support and such a welcoming community. Once I got back on my feet, I wanted to give something back, so I donated things to help others as well. It’s brilliant here.” 

Director of Outreach, Peter Froggatt says:

"It has been great to see how the Oak Community Project has grown, and we were very glad to support them on their journey to embracing digital giving. It has removed a potential barrier and allowed many more people to benefit from their work."

Pictures by Darren Robinson