The How and Why of Giving

Author: Marvin Lindsay
October 06, 2022

There are many agencies out there worthy of your time and money. Why should the Church be at the top of your list of organizations to support? The Church is unique in this way: only the Church is the body of Christ. In the words of a Presbyterian catechism, “[Only Jesus Christ] will ever be God incarnate. No one else will ever die for the sins of the world. Only Jesus Christ is such a person, only he could do such a work, and he in fact has done it.” There is no cause more worthy than God’s mission in Christ to reconcile human beings to God and each other. The fruits of that reconciliation are peace, mutual forgiveness, justice, sharing, and caring.

Members of First Presbyterian Church bear these fruits in a variety of ways. We experience peace with God as we make inspiring music in our beautiful sanctuary. In Sunday school and Bible studies we learn how to say, “I’m sorry” and “I forgive you.” Through our mission partners at the Presbyterian Church USA, St. Wilfrid’s Open Door Clinic, UrbanPromise, and other agencies, we share food and clothing with the poor, and we shelter the unhoused. Our Justice and Advocacy Committee highlights the social structures that inhibit human flourishing. Our Deacons, ordained ministers, and Stephen Ministers care for the sick, the grieving, and the weary. Your time and money help these fruits to ripen.

Maybe you’re thinking, “How can I make a gift to the Church?” Let me count the ways! The most well-known way is to put cash or a check into the offering plate each Sunday. Lately we’ve inserted a QR code into our Sunday bulletins so that, if you don’t have any cash on you, you can use the camera on your phone to contribute. You can go to our website, www.haddonfieldpres.org, and click on the Give tab at the top of the screen. Then follow the prompts. Those prompts will also allow you to set up recurring donations if you choose.

Finally, let me highlight an important way some of us can support the mission of First Presbyterian Church. It’s called a Qualified Charitable Distribution. If you are age 72 or older, the IRS requires you to take required minimum distributions (RMDs) each year from your tax-deferred retirement accounts. A qualified charitable distribution (QCD) is a direct transfer of funds from your IRA, payable directly to a qualified charity such as First Presbyterian Church. Amounts distributed as a QCD can be counted toward satisfying your RMD for the year, up to $100,000. The QCD is excluded from your taxable income. This is not the case with a regular withdrawal from an IRA, even if you use the money to make a charitable contribution later on. If you’re interested in making this type of gift to our congregation, please contact our Financial Administrator, Kris Bean, at kbean@haddonfieldpres.org.

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