The Church accepts tithes (food), gifts
(things) and offerings
(money)
from the faithful whose duty it is to
support the Church so that the Gospel of Jesus
Christ may continue to be taught and spread
across America, so we are grateful for
the gifts of your time, treasure, and goods
given from that which God has already blessed
you with. Your prayers, volunteer efforts, financial
gifts, donations of food and supplies to the
Church are all an important part of your Christian
stewardship of the Great Commission of Jesus
Christ, but giving also comes with a Biblical
promise from God of great blessings that shall
come upon you for your obedience to Him.
Jesus exhorts His followers to give in Luke
6:38:
'Give, and it shall be given to you; good
measure, pressed, and shaken, and running
over, they shall give into your bosom; for
with that measure with which ye measure,
it shall be measured to you
again.'
Young's Literal Translation (emphasis
added)
So you need not be worrisome about giving, because
Jesus promises that God will return your generosity
to you
double
and with good measure and overflowing abundance.
And in Matthew 23:23 Jesus warns the Pharisees:
'Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees,
you hypocrites! You give a
tenth
of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you
have neglected the more important matters of
the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You
should have practiced the latter,
without neglecting the former.'
New International Version (emphasis
added)
And Luke 11:42 says likewise:
'Woe to you Pharisees, because you give
God a
tenth of your mint, rue and all other
kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice
and the love of God. You should have practiced
the latter
without leaving the former undone.'
New International Version (emphasis
added)
And in Malachi 3:10 God says:
'Bring
the whole tithe into the storehouse, that
there may be food in my house. Test me in
this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see
if I will not throw open the floodgates
of heaven and pour out so much blessing
that you will not have room enough for it.'
New International Version
And for everything that you give, no matter
how small, we also pray for God's abundant blessings
to come upon you and your family.
Frequently Asked Questions
about Church donations.
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Are my donations
to The Church of America tax deductible?
Yes, in the USA donations are federally
tax deducible in the same way as any other
church or religious organization.
If you live in another country, you may
need to check with your local tax advisor.
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Can I deduct
the value of my goods or services that are donated
to the Church?
In the USA, in most cases yes, but
some items or services may not be deductible,
check with your tax advisor to see if the
item or service is deductible for you.
The value of goods or service donated must
be estimated using the current market value,
not the retail value or the purchase price.
Your parish rector or your tax advisor can
help you determine the market value of the
item or service you wish to donate.
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Will the Church
provide me with a receipt for my donation for
tax purposes?
Yes, if you require one and request
it. If you are donating by check,
your canceled check is your receipt, if
you are donating by credit/debit card, you
will automatically get a receipt.
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Can the Church
provide me with a copy of its IRS 501(c)(3)
Tax Exempt Organization Determination Letter?
No.
Section 508(c) of the Internal Revenue Code
provides that churches are not required
to apply for recognition of Section 501(c)(3)
status in order to be free from federal
taxation or to receive tax deductible contributions.
Churches are
automatically free from Federal income
tax, and contributions to churches are affirmed
as tax deductible by donors under
section 170 of the Code.
The IRS states:
According to the Federal Tax Code under
the heading "Mandatory
Exceptions":
Since a church is not required to request
or have a determination letter to maintain
its tax-free status, the Church has no reason
to requested such a letter.
However, we can provide you with an
affidavit on Church letterhead signed by
the Church's pastor indicating that the
Church is a
bona fide
church and include a copy of the relevant
sections of the tax code. This is
usually enough proof of our tax-free status
to satisfy any legal requirements of documentation
that you may encounter. If you have
other specific requirements for documentation,
please contact us.
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Can I deduct
the cost of items that I purchase from the Church?
Yes, to a degree. You may deduct
the amount you paid for the item over top
of our material and shipping costs for the
item and consider that amount a donation
to the Church. We indicate on your
receipt how much of the price of each item
you may use as a deduction.
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What is a "tithe"?
God asks His people to give a tenth of
their first fruits into His store house.
The word "tithe" means "a tenth" or ten percent.
All believers should give a tithe to their church's
store house. The tithe is not money,
it is food. Money is just a tool that
you use to bring in your harvest.
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What are my "first fruits" and
how should I divide out my tithe?
Originally "first fruits" were the
choicest part of the harvest because they
were the first to be harvested at their peak
of ripeness.
Unless you are giving your tithe in
produce or grain, this becomes a bit
confusing, so the first thing you will want
to do is figure out what your "harvest"
consists of. If you receive a paycheck
like most people, your harvest will be in
cash. So you should determine how much cash
your paycheck has given you. First deduct
your debt obligations for that pay period
(because the money you borrowed to create
the debt is not yours, it belongs to
somebody else, so debt is not part of your
harvest.).
Next you will convert your pay to food
(food includes drink)
by buying groceries. Your tithe is ten
percent of the food you buy. You
should give this tithe to God by bringing it
into God's storehouse. There it is to
be used to feed the poor, the widows and
orphans, the clergy and the stranger among
you in the
parish, and it is available to be bought
back if you need it.
For example, lets say you make
$5000 a
month and you have a car loan payment of
$1000
a month.
First deduct your loan payment
from your pay, which leaves you with
$4000 in
cash.
$4000 is your harvest
(assuming for this example that you don't
have other non-food expenses).
Ten percent
of your harvest is your tithe. That means
that
$4000 ÷
10 =
$400. Your tithe
then would be
$400 worth of food and that is what you should
bring into your church's store house.
If you prefer to just pay your tithe in
cash, that is called "redeeming"
your tithe. Redeeming is what happens
when you buy your tithe back from the
storehouse (or if you just want to keep it
and eat it yourself). God has set the
rules for redeeming the tithe in the Bible
in Leviticus:
"If
you want to buy back the LORD's tenth of the
grain or fruit, you must pay its value, plus
20 percent." -- Leviticus
27:31 (NIV)
So, if your tithe should be
$400
worth of food (as in the example above), and
you want to redeem it, then you must give
the LORD an additional 20%
(that is a fifth), which would be
$80.
($400
÷ 5
= $80),
($80 + $400
= $480)
So, in this example your choice is to pay
the tithe ($400
worth of food) or to redeem your tithe by
buying it back, plus a fifth more; that is
$480
paid in cash.
This would then
make your tithe redemption payment total
$480
in cash. Or in simpler terms, Your
redeemed tithe would be equal to 12%
of your harvest.
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What does
the Church need right now?
Currently St. Andrew's Parish in Central
Florida needs a no cost place to hold Saturday
Church services for about 15 people that has
A/C and a restroom.
Below is a list of items the Church currently
needs donated.
Outdoor style stackable molded plastic
chairs (any color).
A hand truck
A digital projector.
A digital camera.
A gas powered moped/scooter
A house in Central Florida suitable for
use as a Rectory and small Chapel (a Rectory
is a residence for a Church Rector). The house
can be any size and can be in a residential,
or rural area. The location can be in
any of the following counties; Volusia, Seminole,
Orange, Lake, Flagler, or Brevard county.
Cash donations to help with purchasing
any of the above are also appreciated.
If you (or your business) have any of the
items listed above, please consider donating
them to the Church.
(Note: Donations to a church are tax deductible
in the US.)
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How do
I give my donation to the Church?
If you wish to give your tithes and offerings
as a monetary donation, you may do so by cash,
check, or money order.
To give cash, you may place it directly in the
collection basket or collection box at your
local parish church, or you may give it directly
to your Rector, Pastor, or Deacon. Collection
envelopes are provided by the parish for your
convenience.
Checks and money orders should be made payable
to your Parish Rector, or to the Central Rector
(see below). Please write the name of your parish
and the type of donation on the memo line of your
check, which may be a
'tithe'
or an 'offering',
etc.
You may also send your tithes and offerings
through the mail.
The Church's mailing address for donations is:
Pr. Seán Milroy - Central Rector
C of A Central Rectory
1982 Vienna Ave, Dept 701
Deltona, Florida, USA
32725
Cash - You may send small
amounts of cash through the mail or via delivery
service, this is preferred if you are sending less
than $20 dollars.
(Be sure to wrap the bill(s) in a sheet of paper
before placing them in the envelope and tape the
envelope shut for extra security. Then
take your envelope to the post office or put in
a US Postal box. Never put your envelope
in your personal mail box for pick up.)
Check - Make checks or money
orders out to: "Pr. Seán
Milroy" (or leave it blank).
Then take your envelope to the post office or
put in a US Postal box. Never put your envelope
in your personal mail box for pick up.
Goods - If you (or your business)
wish to give a donation of food, supplies or other
physical items, you may give them via your Parish
Pastor.
Securities - If you (or your
business) wish to give a donation of stocks, bonds,
or other investment property, you may give these
items to the Church via your Parish Rector of the
Central Rector.
Property - If you (or your
business) wish to give a donation of real estate,
commercial or industrial property, or intellectual
property, you may make arrangements for the transfer
of these items to the Church via your Parish Rector
or the Central Rector.
Credit/Debit Card -
New
Click on the
yellow "Pay Now" button.
God bless you and thank you for giving.
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(Note: This web site is designed for general
information only. The information presented at this
site should not be construed to be formal legal
or tax advice. The above information may not apply
to you or where you live, if you are unsure about
any aspect of giving, taxation, tax deductions,
the law, or any information presented at this website,
you should consult with your own local tax advisor
or attorney.)
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