Now that my weekly offering is merely an electronic transfer between my bank and the church’s, in what sense (if at all) can I be said to be a “cheerful giver”?

Your answers: For years, my wife and I have made our donations to our parish church by standing order, the amount being known only to us and to the treasurer. At collection time in a service, we cheerfully place a token amount in the collection bag. Nobody has ever remarked on our apparent parsimony. I hope this is helpful.

Richard Reid
Catfield, Norfolk
 

First, a generic response: the question is mistakenly focused on the mechanism of giving. If people are giving as a grateful response to their experience of God’s generosity, then they are giving cheerfully, regardless of how the gift is given.

Second, a specific response during the Covid-19 pandemic: one can be cheerful knowing that gifts given electronically are helping the church to pay bills that don’t go away just because of the pandemic, at a time when no money can come through envelopes or on the plate.

(The Revd) Martin J. T. Joss CA
Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire

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