Giving Opportunities
Thanks for visiting the online giving portion of our website.
Before you scroll down to the "donate" links, we'd like to chat with you a bit about the American church's all-they-ever-talk-about-is-money reputation. The last thing we want to do is reinforce that perception--because it's simply not true at Morning Star Church.
At the same time, it's also not true that we actively avoid conversations about money. In fact, we can be down-right bold about them. We don't apologize for teaching about or asking for money because:
- we acknowledge that everything we have ultimately belongs to God, and scripture teaches us that it's right and good to give back a portion of "our" stuff to Him. In our context, that means giving 10% of our income toward MSC's general operating budget, which is called a "tithe." The word offering refers to "above and beyond' giving, such as to our Love.Loud. building fund.
- we believe that following Christ means that we put Him in charge of our whole lives--including our bank accounts.
- along with reading the Bible, praying, volunteering, and attending worship regularly, financial giving is a spiritual discipline--one that allows us to experience God's care for even the smallest details of our lives.
- practically speaking, ministry gets a bit tricky without funding. Apart from the financial support of our church family, we couldn't keep the lights on in the place, much less support a feeding center in Guatemala.
If you have additional questions or concerns about the discipline of giving, please do not hesitate to contact our Pastor of Spiritual Development, Ike Patterson. If you're interested in knowing what Morning Star does with the offerings we receive, visit with our Executive Director, Patty Beseda.
And if you're ready to give this giving thing a go, keep reading.
Ways to Give at Morning Star Church
During Worship Services
All of our worship experiences include an offering time, so if you're not all that jazzed about online giving, no worries. Please just be sure to designate what portion of your gift is for our general operating budget and which portion should be applied to our building fund.
Via Online Banking (for one-time or recurring donations)
Most financial institutions offer online banking, allowing you to set up either one-time or recurring donations. Contact your favorite bank to learn more about this option.
Non-Cash Gifts
Morning Star Church partners with iDonate to assist you with donations of stock, vehicles, jewelry, collectibles, and other non-cash items. Please visit iDonate to learn more and get started.
ACH Debit (for automatically recurring donations)
If you consistently (and unintentionally) leave your checkbook on the kitchen counter as you walk out the door for church, you're a great candidate for automatic bank withdrawals. You may elect to have your donation debited weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly. Please download the ACH Form, attach a voided check to your completed form, and bring it to the church office during the week or drop it in the offering basket (inside your offering envelope) on the weekends.
Via Paypal (for one-time or non-recurring donations)
To make a one-time donation, please click on the appropriate link below. But first, please know that going into debt to support Morning Star's ministry isn't actually a terrific idea. If you feel like you simply don't have enough margin to give, you're not alone. Most people struggle with tithing for lots of reasons, the most common being fear--of not having enough or of not being able to keep up with the Jones'. However, if you feel that the only way you can give is by going into debt, we have a suggestion. Spend some quiet time with God, instead, asking Him for guidance on how to arrange your finances in ways that honor Him. Then, start somewhere--even if your gift feels tiny--and commit to increasing your giving by one percent each year until you reach the biblical standard of 10%.