WHY ARE WE ASKING EVERYONE TO SIGN UP FOR ONLINE GIVING?
The simple answer is that online giving is the best way to give to the church. That is because it fits with how we pay for things today. We use our credit card to pay for purchases online. We pay for our metrocard with a credit card. Many of us use our credit card for our gym membership, or if we support the museum, or public radio, or whatever we pay for daily and monthly. It’s how we live today.
But we also have found that people who use the online giving tool are generally the most serious about their financial support of St. Francis. Our average donation online is $25.00 per week, whereas our average in pew weekly donation is only $4.00.
This is because people who give online take their support of the church seriously. They think about what they can afford to give, and they commit to it. This is what we all need to do as members of the church.
SIGN UP TODAY:
You can sign up for online giving and create a recurring weekly or monthly donation. You can sign up right now by clicking HERE.
QUESTIONS:
Click HERE for some FAQ’s about the Church’s finances that you might find helpful.
If you have any questions about our online giving tool, or about our stewardship campaign in general please email Joseph Nuzzi at jnuzzi@stfrancisnyc.org
If you missed WHY we are called to give, here it is again:
JESUS DID NOT CALL CONSUMERS… HE CALLED MISSIONARIES.
As followers of Jesus we are called to continue his Mission. This means living the Gospel and bringing God’s love to our families, among our friends, and in our places of work. But it also means making sure that our community is able to be fed by the Word of God and the Eucharist, and to make sure that the Gospel is preached in word and action in our local church. When we financially support the church, we are not simply paying bills, we are also fulfilling the demands placed upon us as disciples of Jesus Christ.
MEMBERSHIP IN THE CHURCH HAS ITS PRIVILEGES AND IT COMES WITH RESPONSIBILITY
We are all called to be good stewards of the material blessings we receive from God through our hard work, talents and abilities.
Part of that stewardship, since biblical times, has been understood to include using a portion of our income to support our religious institutions and some to help the poor and disadvantaged. In the Bible, we are asked to contribute 10% of our income as our tithe. Today at St. Francis we ask our members and guests to contribute ONE HOUR of our work week to support the church. This comes to a tithe of 2.5%. This is the sacrificial giving we ask our people to commit to.
Many people do not understand how the finances of Church work. Here are some FAQ’s of questions we commonly hear at St. Francis that might help clarify some questions.
But the bottom line is this: each parish community in the US must raise the funds it needs to pay its bills from the people who attend the church. That means here at St. Francis it is our responsibility to contribute to the budget to keep our parish church running.
Unfortunately today, many people who attend Mass regularly simply never think about their financial responsibility to the church. We see often at Mass people who search in their pockets or purses for whatever they can find during the collection. This should not be.
Each of us, as a full fledge member of the Church, should know and commit to what we can afford do give to support the Church. And that support should be a sacrificial offering. It should not be an afterthought.
If you simply cannot effort to give 2.5% then look at your budget, and decide what you can give, and commit to it. That is what we are all called to do. But without each of us doing our part, our church cannot survive.