Where Your Treasure Is, There Will Your Heart Be Also
As we look forward to 2025, we expect to receive our six-month notice to move off site while construction on a residential building with a new St. Luke’s begins. A time of “exodus” for our congregation is coming when we will leave our familiar place of worship and move in with Ballard First Lutheran Church until construction is finished. Leaving is always hard. There is the loss of a place that holds our memories and feels like home week after week. There is the anxiety of not knowing if everyone we love will continue to come to church in a new location. We wonder if new people will be able to find us when we do not have a space of our own.
Through all of this, each of us will need to commit over and over again to support each other on the journey toward Beloved Community: by showing up at worship so we can stay connected; by caring for each other and our delightful children; by keeping tabs on someone who disappears; by tending to our community in old and new ways; by drawing close to God who offers the promise of new life.
We also need to continue to come together to support the ongoing financial needs of our congregation, while the Capital Campaign continues. With this in mind, we are inviting you to join us for the Annual Giving Campaign: Where Your Treasure Is, There Will Your Heart Be Also.
Please pray and consider your contribution for 2025, then return your pledge card by mail, drop it off in the offering plate, bring it to the November 17 celebration, or complete the online form:
Thank you for choosing to give to St. Luke’s. Your contributions help us to keep our ministries going, and help us to prepare for the redevelopment of our property–to make this a place and a space where all may be welcome.
Ways to Give
Putting a check or cash into the offering basket isn’t the only way to make a donation to St. Luke’s. There are a variety of options that are especially well-suited for people who don’t often carry cash or a checkbook. If you have questions about any of these payment methods, contact Niki at bookkeeper@stlukesseattle.org or 206.784.3119.
Electronic auto-payments (also called ACH or Automated Clearing House transfer). Sign up with Vanco to have monthly or semi-monthly donations sent from your bank account. Contact Niki for a form to get started bookkeeper@stlukesseattle.org.
Paypal lets you donate using a credit or debit card. Simply click the button below or scan the QR code. Please know a 3% fee is charged before the rest goes to St. Luke’s, but donors can choose to cover that fee in addition to the donation amount.
Scanning this QR code from your smartphone takes you to the Paypal site:
Internet Banking saves you from writing checks. You direct your account to pay St. Luke’s. St. Luke’s receives the full amount of the check. Your bank will write a check to St. Luke’s, identify you as the source and mail us a check. Works fine but isn’t as efficient as ACH.
Donate stocks through the Diocese, naming St. Luke’s. You receive a tax deduction for the stock price at the end of the day you donate. St. Luke’s receives the total amount on the day it’s sold. Neither the Diocese or their stock broker benefit. You’ll have to fill out a special form to receive your tax deduction, but may not pay on capital gains. Check with your accountant. Use this form for information on how to give a gift of stock.
Required Minimum Distributions (RMD’s) Up to $100,000 can be donated directly to St. Luke’s without incurring taxes. You must make the request to the company that holds your IRA, and they must sell the stock and send a check. St. Luke’s receives the total of the sale. You cannot take the cash, donate the money yourself and receive the tax deduction. See your representative for your IRA for details.
Remember St. Luke’s in your will. Legacy gifts can help St. Luke’s in difficult times and for building projects.