Western N.Y. Churchgoers Receive $100 In Envelopes

DEPEW, N.Y. -- Dozens of congregants at a western New York church received a little something extra while attending services this past weekend.

Envelopes each containing a $100 bill were handed out to about 85 families and individuals older than 18 near the end of Sunday's service at The Vine Wesleyan Church in Depew (deh-PYOO'), in suburban Buffalo. The cash was accompanied by a letter telling recipients that the money could help them meet a need in their lives or the lives of someone else.

Karen Fohl of Lancaster says she and her husband plan to double the $100 and donate it to the Buffalo City Mission.

___

Comments

[TBera12]

06:35 PM on 11/27/2011

Excellent example!!

[logicanada]

01:58 PM on 11/27/2011

Donations to church . . . 10%.

Donation to Parishioners . . . 100 bucks.

Free media coverage . . . Priceless !

[bmitche]

10:09 PM on 11/24/2011

Baptist Churches do not randomly hand out money, but they do have benevolent funds to help the needy.

[Sweendoggedly]

08:09 PM on 11/30/2011

Correct, they usually funnel the funds towards conservative political groups.

[DRGClarke]

09:54 PM on 11/24/2011

OBAMA should try it instead of bailouts.

[James T Kirk]

09:32 PM on 11/24/2011

C'mon people... This is churchgoers giving money to OTHER churchgoers... Nothing more.

ALL churches should be TAXED!

[Sweendoggedly]

08:10 PM on 11/30/2011

Not all, I think they should be eligible to apply for (and follow all the rules of) charitable organizations. Many churches work as charities, many other simply do not. I do strongly agree that they should not be given default exemption.

[pslcitizen]

09:01 PM on 11/24/2011

This is what good churches do for one another. Plenty of people sponsor kids to go to camp or to help out the needy. My mom cooks for those who are sick or shut-ins. Hand out supplies to hurricane victims, travel to other countries to hand out medical supplies. Sadly, all churches can be coined the same by the disillusioned when it clearly depends on what kind of members you have..

[Tammy Schmit]

07:33 PM on 11/24/2011

Beautiful!

[macsandcats]

07:26 PM on 11/24/2011

With only 85 adult parishioners seems kinda odd, but if they all do like the Karen Fohl its all good

[destin023]

06:49 PM on 11/24/2011

This is what Christianity is to me, this is what I think of when Christianity comes to mind. It's not the person or institution involved in the giving but the reverence of giving in general promoted by God's gift to the world in his son. Jesus taught the power of giving & understanding through the essential creations of the world that his father bestowed upon us. To those who confuse the "meaning of Christianity" with the scattered misdeeds associated with the name of Christianity/religion/church, you'd do far better separating the issues of mankind's sinful ways from the love of God through his son's teachings. That alone is the focus of Christianity beyond our immoral weakness, this expression of giving through the church is done in his name. That's what makes it special, that's what makes it real...

[frankerin]

08:41 PM on 11/24/2011

How very romantic and disneylike. How very exceptonal of formal religion. The old saying about american protestantism, 'every man a church' exempts people from any canon of experienced and organized understanding of good and bad, right and wrong. Just be reverent in the giving, and its all good. Well the gift of God is the gift of his son, and the giving of gifts in religion is the celebration of that basic complete gift. Christ doesn't teach the power of giving, which reduces him to simply human, a very unchristianizing teaching of modern christians. It is so easy to stand and be separate of two thousand years of graceful participation in Christ's life by living it and sharing it with other. Your very pomous edict as to what alone is the focus of christianity is limited and self serving.

[destin023]

11:27 PM on 11/24/2011

Surely you can add more to your scathing criticism of my simplistic approach to the power of giving & whose name that giving is rendered under than that frankerin. I have to say it's a bit confusing you would interpret my comments as "disneylike" when I simply conveyed one part of Jesus' teachings in the form of giving aligned with the attached article. Christ taught giving through spirit, effort & energy to those who followed him & those he reached out to. You can indeed summarize the gift of salvation as well in your own words. I'll offer no criticism of that..

[xkglady]

06:44 PM on 11/24/2011

"Tag You're It, Pass It On!" Take the feeling you felt upon receipt of this gift of $100. Give another that unexpected gift, a moment of happiness and keep the cycle going, in a note, you mention you're passing on a gift for their needs and if they can continue this and pass it on to another, just think how many truly grateful and happy people there would be. I know, wishful thinking!

[GOODDOC1]

07:03 PM on 11/24/2011

It can be something as little as paying for the order of the person behind you at the drive-through. Or even holding the door open and letting someone else go in first. Nothing is too small.

[xkglady]

08:34 PM on 11/24/2011

Agreed. Being courteous, pleasant and just a smile, or telling someone that they're appreciated, whether family, friend,store clerks, postal workers in and out of the post office, anyone for that matter. You're right, you see someone struggling at the check out and looking for their few last pennies, why not say you get it, or use your store card to ge them discounts, even if you don't know them. Homeless families, why not give them a gift certificate to a grocery store, a prayer card and information as to where they can get help. Any gesture big or small has to come from your heart, and that you're not looking for rewards or praise for your charitable works of mercy. Thank God for what you have, as there are those worse off. Thank our military, the protestors and all that give of themselves to protect our liberties and freedoms. "Thank You God For Giving Us This Day!"

[xkglady]

06:30 PM on 11/24/2011

"Give & You Shall Receive, sayeth the Lord," and in the church giving this generous gesture, it would be a blessing if they can see their way clear to help another in need. Perhaps donate a turkey, clothing or volunteer your time in helping those less fortunate. Reward is seeing the faces of those grateful reciprients' eyes light up when they get something unexpected, this is the biggest reward one can give to themselves. May God Bless All.

[unimatrix0]

03:51 PM on 11/23/2011

OMG the church wants the better off of society to tithe to the poor. Now how should a good Christian vote?

[Romans 9 16]

11:28 PM on 11/23/2011

Christ requires charity by the individual in order to proclaim the glory of God. Never did Christ advocate for the government to take action on our behalf. In fact charity as performed by the government has devolved into corruption and destruction of those in need by creating dependence.

[DRGClarke]

09:56 PM on 11/24/2011

same as everyone else ANYone but OBAMA

[eliasasm]

03:05 PM on 11/23/2011

OH NO!! Socialism! Redistribution of wealth!!

[warloch2]

03:46 PM on 11/23/2011

eliasasm,
There is a complete difference from when members of a church VOLINTARILY give of their substance through a TRUSTED clergyman as opposed ot corrupt politicians forcefully taking someones money and giving that money to programs and people of the CORRUPT politicians choice.
:-)

[eliasasm]

04:56 PM on 11/23/2011

warloch2, I'm just being facetious and are you saying clerymen can be trusted more than politicians? Looks to me that they are both in the business of controling the masses with falsehoods and asking for/taking your money to advance their own agendas which, obviously, ain't about the people. Just sayin'.
Have a nice T-day!

[pslcitizen]

09:03 PM on 11/24/2011

By choice..

[Johnny Picasso]

02:18 PM on 11/22/2011

I'm sure today's republicans will have something to say about this display of unchristian charity. To them life is all about amassing as much wealth as you can, not about helping others. That's what socialists do!

And remember God told both Bachmann and Cain to run for president, and they are both against helping the poor.

[warloch2]

03:49 PM on 11/23/2011

Johnny,
Do you know you are lying or are you pathological? Here is a free cranial enema for you. Enjoy.
http://youtu.be/uYrNBpJly9s

http://youtu.be/l-QK8ygLu38

http://newsroom.lds.org/article/many-mormon-helping-hands-provide-community-relief

http://mormonchurch.org/category/mormons-serving-locally

http://lds.org/haiti-relief/relief/africa_landing.htm

http://lds.org/service/humanitarian/center?lang=eng

http://www.providentliving.org/project/0,13501,4607-1-2009,00.html

http://youtu.be/7bnhU1bh_RM

http://lds.org/haiti-relief/relief/homepage.htm
:-)

[Johnny Picasso]

07:45 PM on 11/23/2011

I ain't making it up, that's what those republican candidates are saying. Listen to them.
:-)

[DRGClarke]

09:57 PM on 11/24/2011

You have no idea what you are spewing besides hatred and misinformation. First of all Republcans donate 10 times what the democrats do and the Democrats have 70% of the wealthiest of Americans so stuff that in your class warfare fantasy hole.

[wbthacker]

01:39 PM on 11/22/2011

I'm assuming the church is a tax-free entity. If so, I think they've violated the terms of their IRS status.

Suppose I give $100 to the church, then report the donation to the IRS so I don't pay income tax on it. If the church gives me the $100 back, unless I report that income to the IRS I just cheated Uncle Sam out of his cut. It's like money laundering. (Unless the church reports it to the IRS for me, and clearly, the Depew church didn't.)

And as a tax-exempt entity the church can't just hand money to random people; it needs to justify the gift as "charitable". The Depew church simply gave checks to every adult who showed up, including visitors, so clearly they haven't screened the recipients for need. The checks came with instructions to spend it to "meet a need in their lives or the lives of someone else," which is too broad compared to the IRS limits on giving by tax-exempt entities.

I don't really think this is money laundering, but neither is it a legal dispensation of charitable donations received by the church. Despite the good intentions I think it's a clear violation of federal tax rules. The church should know better.

My hat's off, though, to church members like Karen Fohl, who are giving their C-notes (and more) to another charitable cause.

[eliasasm]

03:03 PM on 11/23/2011

I must have read a different story. The story I read didn't say where the money came from. Maybe it came from an anonomous source.

[LintLass]

10:30 AM on 11/28/2011

Actually, he's right that they could be breaking some tax rules about the deductions, you not that it's likely they were trying to commit some tax fraud, (It would hardly be a master stroke of everyone dropping a tax bracket for free) but there are rules against an organization claiming tax-exemptions and then paying out the money back to the donors just that way, ...it *could* be used as a very lucrative tax dodge if the numbers were bigger and it were really set up that way.

For all I think people are using this as an excuse to justify bad and anti-poor political policies and rhetoric, it's pretty unlikely that's what this church is trying to do. (I tend to doubt people *in* that church donating to that church are itemizing their deductions or writing off what they give in the first place. Not if they're impressed by a hundred bucks. :) )