Giving at The Bridge: PayPal, Venmo and Zelle

Talking about money in church makes some people uncomfortable, so let's keep this simple. If you attend The Bridge Church in San Marcos, or you're thinking about visiting and wondering how giving works, this post lays out every way the church accepts gifts, how those gifts are handled, and the verse the church points to when it talks about generosity. Nothing here is a pressure tactic. It's just the practical information in one place.

Three ways to give online

The Bridge Church accepts gifts through PayPal, Venmo and Zelle. Each works a little differently, so pick the one you already use.

• PayPal: give one time, or set up a weekly or monthly gift. The church's giving page offers preset amounts as well as a custom amount, so you can give what you've decided on.
• Venmo: if Venmo is already on your phone, it's one of the church's listed options.
• Zelle: send your gift to give@bridge2u.com straight from your bank's app.

The recurring option is worth a mention. A weekly or monthly PayPal gift means you decide once and it simply happens, even on weeks when you're traveling, sick, or just forget your wallet. Many people find that setting up a regular gift takes the stress out of the decision, because it becomes part of the budget rather than a Sunday-morning scramble.

Zelle deserves a quick explanation if you haven't used it. It sends money directly between bank accounts, usually from inside your bank's own app. You enter the email address give@bridge2u.com as the recipient, type the amount, and confirm. That address is for gifts only, so if you have a question for the church, use the phone number at the end of this post instead.

Giving on Sunday

If you prefer to give in person, the Sunday program includes an offering envelope. The Bridge Church meets every Sunday at 10:00 a.m. at the Casitas Del Sol Clubhouse, 1219 E Barham Dr, San Marcos. Visitors never need to feel they have to put anything in the envelope. It's there for anyone who chooses to give, and you're welcome to pass it by.

How gifts are handled

The church states on its giving page: “All donations are recorded by our secretary and are 100% tax deductible.” So there's a person responsible for recording gifts, rather than leaving it to chance. That is the church's own wording. The page doesn't list a tax ID number, so if you have questions about how a gift fits your own tax situation, a tax preparer is the right person to ask.

Another line from the same page is a good summary of the attitude behind it all: “Giving to God through the Bridge Church is a joy for all.” The aim isn't to pry gifts out of anyone. It's to give people who already want to give a clear and easy way to do it.

A cheerful giver

On its giving page, the church quotes 2 Corinthians 9:7: “God loves a cheerful giver.” The full verse reads, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Look at what that says. The decision belongs to you. It's made in your heart. It isn't reluctant, and nobody is compelling it.

That's a helpful standard for anyone, whether you attend regularly or are only getting acquainted. If you can give with a glad heart, give. If your budget is tight this month, or you're still deciding whether this is your church, the verse gives you permission to wait. The church's own measure of a good gift is the spirit behind it.

Serving our neighbors

Generosity at The Bridge isn't only about dollars, and the church's life doesn't stop when the service ends. One of the photos the church has shared shows five volunteers at a food distribution site, handing out food and holding oranges, simply serving their neighbors. The first of the church's seven Kingdom Benefits, love, is defined as “a safe place to receive and give God's unconditional love through service.” Serving neighbors is one way that sentence becomes real.

If you'd like to know more about giving or about volunteering, call The Bridge Church at (760) 707-9533, or come on Sunday at 10 a.m. and ask in person. We would love to meet you.