Active Generosity Podcast

In this episode of Active Generosity, Ruth Jackson speaks with Vicki Smith, CEO of Growing Hope, a charity providing free therapy for children and young people with additional needs and supporting their families in partnership with local churches.
Vicki shares how Growing Hope began with Founder Naomi Fox's vision of clinics offering both practical help and spiritual hope, and how that vision continues to grow across the UK. 

Vicki unpacks the values that shape Growing Hope -community, hope and integrity - and speaks candidly about the joys and challenges of leading with generosity. From miraculous provision to everyday faithfulness, her stories offer rich encouragement to keep trusting God's abundance. 

Vicki also reflects on her personal journey of faith and generosity, offering wise counsel for those struggling amidst rising living costs: it's not about comparing what you can give but considering what's in your hand and trusting God to multiply even the smallest offering. 
"I think it does go back to thinking about what you have in your hand… if it can come from a generous heart, however little it might be, that's the key." 
This episode explores:
how Growing Hope has grown from a single clinic into a national movement championing accessibility and inclusion across UK churches
how Christian values such as hope, community, courage, generosity and integrity shape leadership and organisational culture
inspiring stories of God's provision and the impact of generosity, from small gifts to transformational funding
what biblical stewardship looks like in practice and how generosity extends beyond financial giving
encouragement for anyone wanting to live generously by offering what they have and trusting God with the outcome

Vicki's favourite Bible verse on generosity:
'Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.' (2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV) 
See our note on Bible usage: https://www.stewardship.org.uk/bible-usage
 How you can pray: 
for Vicki and the whole Growing Hope team, that their faith would keep building and they would live out of a place of hope 

for God's provision as Growing Hope seeks to serve more families across the UK 


for the many families facing daily challenges, that they receive the support and encouragement they need 

Related links:
Growing Hope's partner profile page

Growing Hope
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The podcast is also available in The Journey Tab on our Giving app (available on the App store and Google Play) and on the following platforms: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PlayerFM, Amazon Music, YouTube
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Podcast presenter: Ruth Jackson  Podcast producer: Vimbai Chigwangwa

In this episode, Ruth Jackson is joined by Jack Taylor, Operations Lead for the Genesis Network, a community for Christian business leaders across Ireland.
Jack shares the story behind the Genesis Network, its roots in historic Christian business ministry, and how it is equipping leaders to live out biblical stewardship through their time, talent and treasure.
He reflects on his personal journey of faith, from a non-Christian upbringing to taking ownership of his faith as a teenager, and how this has shaped his understanding of generosity, stewardship and discipleship.
Through powerful stories - including a moment of unexpected financial provision - Jack explores how generosity is deeply connected to listening to God, trusting His provision and responding in faith.
Drawing on his experience as both a ministry leader and co-founder of a MedTech startup, Jack shares how Christian values can be lived out authentically in a secular workplace, shaping culture, decisions and relationships.
This episode explores:
how the Genesis Network is equipping Christian business leaders to live missionally
why stewardship goes beyond money to include time, talent and influence
how generosity is shaped through faith, discipleship and listening to God
the role of community, accountability and mentorship in a generosity journey
how to integrate faith and values into business leadership
why generosity is not just for later life, but a lifelong calling
"Generosity starts in the little choices. It's not about the size of the gift, it's the posture of the heart."
Jack's favourite Bible verses on generosity:
Jack draws insight from the book of Philemon, highlighting how generosity can involve sacrifice rather than simply giving from abundance. He reflects that true generosity often comes from a place of humility, surrender and grace, rather than control or power.
See our note on Bible usage: https://www.stewardship.org.uk/bible-usage
How you can pray for Jack:
for continued growth in his and his wife Caitlin's journey of generosity and discipleship
for wisdom as he listens to God's leading in giving and stewarding resources
for the Genesis Network to help shape a culture of generosity among business leaders in Ireland
that younger generations would embrace generosity as a lifelong practice, not something reserved for later life
Related links:
Genesis Network's partner profile page
Genesis Network
Subscribe:
Be the first to receive each month's episode. You'll hear from donors, partners and colleagues about their journey of generosity, exploring why and how they give, the joys and challenges they've experienced along the way, and the difference generosity makes in everyday life.
Subscribe now
The podcast is also available in The Journey Tab on our Giving app (available on the App store and Google Play) and on the following platforms: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PlayerFM, Amazon Music, YouTube
·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stewardship/ 
·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stewardshipuk/ 
·       LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stewardship/ 
·       TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stewardship.org.uk 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/stewardshipuk

Podcast presenter:  Ruth Jackson  Podcast producer:  Vimbai Chigwangwa

In this episode, Ruth Jackson is joined by Stewart McCulloch, CEO of Christians Against Poverty (CAP).
Stewart joined CAP in January 2024, following five years as CEO at Stewardship, where he led a period of significant growth, including a 40% increase in giving and the development of an award-winning philanthropy team.
Stewart shares his personal journey of faith, including coming to know Jesus following the loss of his first wife, and reflects on how the local church played a vital role in his healing and restoration. He also speaks candidly about the relationship between generosity, discipleship and transformation — both for those giving and those receiving.
Drawing on his experience across Stewardship and CAP, Stewart explores how generosity is deeply relational, how it connects people to impact and how the church is uniquely positioned to respond to rising poverty and financial hardship across the UK.
"Christian giving is about relationship. It's about everybody being part of the ministry and connecting that they're giving all the way through to the impact it has on people and their lives and their walk with Jesus. …This ministry isn't about raising money, it's about raising people."
This episode explores:
why generosity is fundamentally about relationship, not transaction
how giving connects people to ministry, impact and spiritual growth
the role of the church in responding to poverty, debt and inequality in the UK
why generosity transforms both the giver and the receiver
how even those on tight budgets can participate meaningfully in generosity
what it means to live with an 'abundance mindset' rooted in faith rather than scarcity
"Christian giving is about relationship. It's about everybody being part of the ministry and connecting that they're giving all the way through to the impact it has on people and their lives and their walk with Jesus. …This ministry isn't about raising money, it's about raising people."
Stewart's favourite Bible verses on generosity:
'And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: "They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever."'
— 2 Corinthians 9:8–9 (NIV)
These verses reflect Stewart's conviction that generosity flows from God's abundance, enabling us to participate in His work with confidence, joy and faith.
See our note on Bible usage: https://www.stewardship.org.uk/bible-usage
How you can pray for Stewart:
for wisdom and leadership as CAP and Community Money Advice come together to have 4,000 people out in the mission field
for strength and inspiration to build a team that can make that partnership thrive
that God places the CAP ministry on the hearts of those who want to pray, give or act, to bring those in greatest need into a relationship with Jesus
Related links:
Christians Against Poverty's partner profile page
Christians Against Poverty
Client report 2026: Stronger together – read CAP's 2026 client report, exploring 30 years of UK poverty and how support is weaving hope back into people's lives. 
Subscribe: 

Be the first to receive each month's episode. You'll hear from donors, partners and colleagues about their journey of generosity, exploring why and how they give, the joys and challenges they've experienced along the way, and the difference generosity makes in everyday life. 
Subscribe now

The podcast is also available in The Journey Tab on our Giving app (available on the App store and Google Play) and on the following platforms: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PlayerFM, Amazon Music, YouTube
Follow us on social media:  
·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stewardship/ 
·       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stewardshipuk/ 
·       LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stewardship/ 
·       TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stewardship.org.uk 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/stewardshipuk

Podcast presenter: Ruth Jackson  Podcast producer: Vimbai Chigwangwa

In this episode, Ruth Jackson is joined by Jo Hargreaves, also known as the Faith‑Filled Therapist. Jo is a psychotherapist, pastor, writer, speaker and podcast host, whose work integrates theology and therapy, submitting neuroscience to the authority of Scripture. 

Jo reflects on her journey of faith, emotional healing and generosity, shaped by growing up with financial insecurity, encountering Jesus as a young adult and discovering how God has wired our brains for connection, wholeness and generosity. She shares openly about the relationship between faith and mental health, how generosity impacts our emotional wellbeing and why open‑handed living is both spiritually and neurologically transformative. 

"Generosity is one of the ways God rewires us – it loosens the grip of scarcity, comparison and fear and reminds us that nothing we have really belongs to us." 
This episode explores: 

how faith, neuroscience and therapy can work together rather than sit in tension 

why generosity is essential for emotional and spiritual wholeness 

holding money lightly and developing a heart of joyful generosity 

how upbringing, culture and teaching shape our attitudes to giving 

why God designed us for relationship, community and generosity 

 
Jo's favourite Bible verses on generosity: 

'Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.  They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything - all she had to live on."' Mark 12:43–44 (NIV) 

The story of the widow's offering is a powerful reminder that generosity is never about the amount given but the posture of the heart. 

See our note on Bible usage: https://www.stewardship.org.uk/bible-usage 

How you can pray for Jo: 

for courage to continue living generously at deeper levels 

for discernment about where and to whom God is inviting her to be generous 

for provision and freedom to respond joyfully to opportunities to give 


Related links: 

The Faith Filled Collective with Jo Hargreaves

Subscribe: 

Be the first to receive each month's episode. You'll hear from donors, partners and colleagues about their journey of generosity, exploring why and how they give, the joys and challenges they've experienced along the way, and the difference generosity makes in everyday life. 

Subscribe now

The podcast is also available in The Journey Tab on our Giving app (available on the App store and Google Play) and on the following platforms: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PlayerFM, Amazon Music, YouTube 
Follow us on social media:  
·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stewardship/ 
·    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stewardshipuk/ 
·    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stewardship/ 
·    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stewardship.org.uk 
·    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/stewardshipuk 

Podcast presenter: Ruth Jackson  Podcast producer: Vimbai Chigwangwa

In this episode, Ruth Jackson is joined by Fola Komolafe MBE, CEO of World Vision UK, the UK branch of the world's largest international children's charity.  

Fola reflects on her journey of faith, leadership and generosity, shaped by growing up in Nigeria, where she saw poverty first-hand, and witnessing generosity modelled by her family and church. 
Fola shares openly about leading World Vision UK during a time of global crisis - including the world's worst humanitarian crisis in Sudan - aid cuts and economic uncertainty and how generosity, partnership and faith continue to sustain both the organisation and its supporters. 
 
"What's in your hand? What's the seed that you can sow? And then watch God turn that seed into something marvellous that you could never have imagined." 


This episode explores: 

how faith shapes generosity, leadership and stewardship 
responding to global poverty and humanitarian crises amid aid cuts 
the power of child sponsorship and small acts of generosity 

Fola's favourite Bible verses on generosity: 

'Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.' Proverbs 31:8–9 (NIV) 

'I can do all things through him who gives me strength.' Philippians 4:13 (NIV) 

How you can pray for Fola and World Vision UK: 

for provision and wisdom to meet increasing global need 
for vulnerable children in the hardest-to-reach communities 
for the continued support of children in Sudan via the  Sudan appeal from World Vision UK, as the crisis marks its third year this month

Related links: 

World Vision UK: https://www.worldvision.org.uk/ 
World Vision UK's Sudan appeal

Subscribe 

Be the first to receive each month's episode. You'll hear from donors, partners and colleagues about their journey of generosity, exploring why and how they give, the joys and challenges they've experienced along the way, and the difference generosity makes in everyday life. 

Subscribe now 

The podcast is also available in The Journey Tab on our Giving app (available on the App store and Google Play) and on the following platforms: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PlayerFM, Amazon Music, YouTube 
Follow us on social media:  
·       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stewardship/ 
·    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stewardshipuk/ 
·    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stewardship/ 
·    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stewardship.org.uk 
·    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/stewardshipuk 

Podcast presenter: Ruth Jackson  Podcast producer: Vimbai Chigwangwa