The MNC set up a Thanksgiving Fund in 1846 to mark its Jubilee and raised £7,700 in support of connexional projects.

In 1878 a Thanksgiving Fund was established by the Wesleyans to celebrate the peaceful introduction of lay representatives in their Conference. It raised £297,518 (approximately £15m today) and was used to provide a further ministerial training college at Handsworth, Birmingham, to extinguish debts (e.g. on the foreign missions and National Children's Home funds) and to support extension work.

A Bible Christian Thanksgiving Fund was inaugurated at the 1882 Conference 'for the relief oif the Missionary Society and some other departments which are burdened with debt'. F.W. Bourne was appointed to undertake its advocacy. At first the moneys raised were allocated yearly to paying off various loans to the Connexion, but the scheme did not achuieve all that was hoped for. By th end of the decade just £7,193 had been raised. In due course the remaining funds were allocated to the New Century Fund, set up in 1898.

A Primitive Methodist Thanksgiving Fund, launched in 1900, supported the building of chapels to combat declining membership in certain places.

A fourth Thanksgiving Fund was set up following Methodist Union in 1932, with a target of £500,000.

See also: Centenary Funds; Jubilee Fund

Entry written by: DRF
Category: Subject
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