So, from churcg today I got this box full of little envelopes........

[Northerner]

I know they are for me to make a regular donation, but they have a serial number so I know they can track how much I give.

Question is, what is a reasonable amount to give, do they 'expect' notes and not coins.

TIA

Ours does that. We pay by Standing Order & they have special giving days (announced well in advance) for Disasters, TearFund, Our Building etc etc when "The Red Bucket" comes out

Otherwise, small box hidden at back.They NEVER ask in services for donations unless a Red Bucket day. If visitors DO ask -shown the box at the back.

we do ours by direct debit as well. That way, if I'm not there, then I've still paid my week's "subs".
This issue is a bit of a bug bear of mine actually. I think people expect an awful lot from their church (heating, lighting, hymn books, priest/vicar, etc) but then don't think it's their financial responsibility - who else is going to pay for it all?

We pay by standing order and give £150 per month. I think we are only just above average in our church. It costs a lot to run a mission shaped church, and to pay the parish share to cover struggling parishes.

Our Church has gone through much needed renovations and it is spectaular now so I don't mind paying for a beautiful church where I can go and pray and worship and reflect. It is such a calm place that it is worth spending £7 a week ~ you could spend that on a beauty therapy. Means more to me to be in a spiritual setting and in complete silence than anywhere else. I find value in my "house of prayer".

don't agree with Standing Order ~ that makes things to clinical

10% would be the tithe, Jesus condemned the pharisees for sticking to this religiously (if you pardon the pun). The obligation to pay a tithe ceased when that Mosaic Law covenant came to an end.

I certainly would feel uneasy about any Church that did not allow anonymous contributions and demanded the tithe.

we are given envelopes because of the gift aid thing i dont go every week but usually just put £5 in envelope when i do go

10% is the minimum expected according to scripture, it is only to recorded for tax purposes and the only people who have access to that information are the finance locals.

As for the state providing for social needs that is a load of rubbish if a church is mission based then it will be in the community helping those who need help. That means cost.

If a church is running at a defeceit who is going to pay for that? Having run a church it is a nightmare trying to figure out which bill should be paid and whether there is enough to pay ministers fees etc, so many people came week after week and expected church on the cheap so to speak, never giving a thought for how bills were to paid even if they were made aware of the problems.

Message withdrawn

we go most weeks and usually put £10 in the envelope - we are a family of 4 people. The purpose of the serial numbers as others have explained is so tax can be claimed back.

BTW Dior what does your post "it amounts to theft" mean? why the quotation marks - is this your view or someone else's you are citing?

10% ?! bloody hell !!!!!!!!!!

I can't decide whether or not I'm suprised some of you are so surprised!

Amongst the committed Christians I know 10% is just bog standard. Some give less because they are in genuine hardship. Most give more because they can. But usually the argument is about whether most of us in our affluent society should really be giving more than 10% because our needs are so abundantly provided for. (I think in the end most of my friends do give more because they lock in 10% giving - usually by standing order - but then give on top semi-regularly as well...)

But it really does seem that in the non-Christian world this is not well known... I suppose I knew that all along, but this has been a useful reminder! :)

Looking at our monthly household income and outgoings, 10% is a very high figure to 'donate'. Not sure that how much money you give to the church bears any relation to how 'committed' a Christian you are, regardless of financial position. But then i speak as an Athiest.

Late last year we had a single Sunday where we were giving (on top of the usual) to support our African missionary setting up an AIDS project. We raised $AUS45,000 (equivalent to about GBP20,000 - but in real terms substantially more) in one day. And that's just from the one church - not a mega-church either. Guessing here, but I'd say it was from about 200-250 families... It was so lovely to hear back from her about all the things she could DO with this money! And because it's all so direct and personal, we know that none of the money is going to be wasted or misdirected.

NdP - I agree that no committed Christian should feel that their love of God is in any way measured in pounds and pennies!

On the other hand, isn't it obvious that there should be a general trend that those more committed to their faith would be willing to sacrifice more for it? We have to be soooo careful not to turn that around into 'if you loved God, you'd give us more dosh'. But frankly, it makes sense to me that someone who doesn't really believe in God or, if they do, doesn't really have much room in their life for God should be less willing to give money to church. Hell - why should they? It wouldn't make sense!

Interestingly, there is research to show that strength of religious belief has a direct correlation with amounts of giving. Please don't cite me particular cases of individual, generous atheists - I know they exist and I honour them for it! There are also penny-pinching Christians etc... Just pointing out that there is a statistical relationship.

Donnie - I was quoting an earlier poster who said that their vicar said this! I was shocked that he would have said something like that.

I am not a churchgoer, and I now understand the reasons why envelopes are given to the congregation. I also agree with the 'who else should pay' question. As I am not a religious person, I was quite surprised how the money side of things had moved on from the collection plate. I suppose it makes sense.

I'm with Bloss - I can't decide whether I'm surprised at the surprise. We find 10% a useful benchmark and have done since we were students so it's not related to how much we earn or not but the knowledge that we can always live without at least 10% and if we need we have faith that we will be provided for. (Incidentally, given most people would tick the gift aid box on other giving why not to church?)

WW - does dh's former employer run GAYE? It's not something I'm aware of and would be interested.

Contraversially, dh and I don't channel our 10% to our local church...but to organisations within the wider church. It's a calling we feel we have as we come from a church that is well provided for (there may be always more that could be done but our hearts are elsewhere). The 10% comes from monthly SOs and we give over and above as things arise...(and SOs again for tax purposes).

Just a quick post to say that the chapel I used to go to had a list in the end of the financial year accounts with each member's name and the total amount that they had donated over the year next to the name i.e.
Mr John Jones £300
Mr Bill Smith £250
Mr Sam Thomas £30
Mr Tom Jackson £900

If you donated less than a certain amount (£40 a year rings a bell but I could be wrong) you got a note saying that the sum needed to cover the bills each year was £x and that for that sum to be raised from a congregation of y members, each member should donate a minimum of £z a year. I remember from my childhood (from other chapels or maybe it was churches, I come from a family which goes to both) that there would be a list once a year which nosy people would pore over to see who had given what.

Hee hee hee! Was that a Welsh chapel by any chance Ivor?

Yep. Why, do they not do it elsewhere then? (I'd do a grin, but I don't want anyone to think I'm fibbing as I'm not!)

ILs give 10%.