IN THE middle of Lent, we invite our readers to make a Mothering Sunday gift to the Church - of future ordained ministry. Will you help to train a priest? Will you donate to our unique Church Times Train-A-Priest (TAP) Fund?

Readers sent in £3320 this week. Why not give in thanksgiving for your own mother or motherhood, for the Blessed Virgin Mary, for Mother Church, or for the "mothering" that you may have received in various ways within the Church? And do, please, encourage others to do so. If you would like to organise a special collection during Lent, we have made a full-colour leaflet available to download and print out at www.churchtimes.co.uk. This explains all about TAP, and includes a Gift Aid form.

More than 5600 ordinands and their families have benefited from the TAP Fund since it was set up in 1952. The average TAP grant made to a married candidate with children in the past year has been £995. These grants are for students in residential training. Ten per cent of every donation goes into a Special Hardship Fund. Both college and course students for the priesthood in the C of E are eligible to apply for a hardship grant if financial circumstances put their training in jeopardy.

Please send cheques, postal orders, charity cheques, and cash to: TAP Fund, Church Times, 13a Hellesdon Park Road, Norwich NR6 5DR. For an acknowledgement, please enclose a SAE. To Gift Aid your donation, please use our easy online giving page: http://www.hymnsam.co.uk/train-a-priest.aspx

Please note that we do not use donors' details for any non-TAP purposes. Hymns A&M never sells on any details for any purposes.