I didn’t know this was so common.
I am still trying to find a church that doesn’t print up envelopes with your name on it for the collection basket.
They monitor who and how much is being donated, and yes - those people are certainly treated differently. I’ve been staying home these past few sundays.
When the sermons are about tithing, and all they do is use that info for social standing - I’m not happy.
Uh-huh....
We ought to allow the Lord’s chosen signs to speak to us still and adapt to them, not force them to adapt to us.
I’m the bookkeeper of our church and I’m really unsure why they use envelopes except for Tax information for the giver. Another person records all of that info but I can tell you out of the 6 priests I’ve worked with not one has ever come in and asked for any info on who gives what and that info doesn’t go to the diocese. It is on a computer that they don’t even have access to.
The only time any info is given out is to the person who uses envelopes and requests it, so about 25 people in the whole parish.
Honestly, envelopes just add more work. The counters have to open each envelope and if the amount or the check number isn’t written on the envelope do that, then it has to be recorded and the envelopes kept for 3 years all for IRS reasons. We have a small parish and it costs us over 2K a year for the envelopes.
What you might see in the difference of treatment is parishioners who have always been active in the parish. I don’t use envelopes myself nor do most of my friends. I don’t use them simply because I don’t itemize and don’t need that info and I don’t want to contribute to the cost and the added work to the church.
There is only one time during the year when they are even mentioned and that is when we get the new ones or if you are a new register in the parish, they ask if you want them.
Why don’t you just throw some cash in?