In order to give to Christ Church Eureka, please send checks to
Christ Church Eureka
P. O. Box 861
Eureka, CA 95502
Or donate online by pressing the button below, which can also be used for donating your pledges:
Donate through PayPal by clicking on the button below:
All payments are made through PayPal, which means that your information is secure;
* We will never see your sensitive financial details like your credit card or bank account numbers.
* Information is automatically sent with a high level of data encryption.
* To help safeguard you against identity theft, every PayPal payment is followed by an email confirming your transaction.
For more information on PayPal, and how the service works, please visit their website at http://www.paypal.com.
Donate through Tithely by clicking on the button below:
[1] The first recorded worship service using the English Prayer Book was led by Sir Francis Drake’s chaplain Francis Fletcher on the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist, June 24 (July 4) 1579. There is a large stone Celtic cross sculpture in Golden Gate Park commemorating this event, called the Prayer Book Cross or the Sir Francis Drake Cross. Samuel Seabury was elected bishop in Connecticut on March 25, 1783.
[2] See the research of Professor Laurence Iannaccone of Chapman University and Professor Jonathan Gruber of MIT, introduced in this podcast: https://freakonomics.com/podcast/does-religion-make-you-happy/
[3] According to the diocese’s congregational range sheet, Christ Church Eureka has the second highest average Sunday attendance in our range (D), but we are second-to-last in terms of our giving: https://www.norcalepiscopal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/2022-DioCon-%E2%80%93-Congregation-Range-Sheets.pdf
Seabury and the Patriotic Practice of Stewardship
This March will be the 240th anniversary of the election of the first Episcopal bishop Samuel Seabury, the namesake of one of my Yorkies. The first Anglican worship service held on American soil took place in California in 1579, but Seabury wasn’t elected until 1783.[1] So why did it take the church over two centuries to get a bishop? Well, the Church of England refused to send or endorse a bishop partly because they felt an Anglican Church outside of England was doomed to fail. In England at the time, a portion of the imposed tax would go directly to the church, so Christian stewardship was enforced. The leaders of the Church of England could not imagine people in America supporting a church of their own free will. However, soon after Seabury was consecrated bishop, the Episcopal Church proved to be financially sustainable as its members enjoyed giving generously to their church. Perhaps early Episcopalians knew what professors of economics are beginning to understand today: that supporting one’s church financially actually contributes to one’s happiness.[2] Or more likely, they wanted to give back to God a portion of what God had given them, understanding that giving to the church was the best way they could best use their money for God’s glory. It was this kind of bold generosity that contributed to the health and vitality of our burgeoning church and nation. So, giving generously to the Episcopal Church proved to be a powerful act of patriotism.
I invite you to participate in this particularly patriotic act of stewardship by increasing your giving to Christ Church. Our primary mission is to glorify God through our worship, so giving to Christ Church is the best way to use your money for God’s glory. I encourage you to look at the Giving Graph on the Pledge Card and prayerfully consider stepping your pledge up to the next level.
I am personally impressed with the inspiring generosity of Christ Church Eurekans like you; and, at the same time, I believe we can walk in grace and share our bounty even more than we already do. According to a recent study, Assemblies of God, Seventh-Day Adventists, and Mormons give the most to their churches among American denominations, often giving the traditional and biblical tithe, which is 10 % of their income. Baptists on average give 3 to 5 % of their income, while Catholics, Lutherans, and Episcopalians give about 1 %. Our Episcopal Church forefathers, who regularly tithed their income, would likely be surprised by these low numbers. Also, compared to other Episcopal congregations within our range in the diocese, our giving at Christ Church is less than average.[3]
I share this in order to show how much potential we have for growth when it comes to stewardship. I also acknowledge with deep gratitude that we at Christ Church are tremendously blessed with many active members who give generously of their time and talents, which we also need in order to fulfill our mission. We have great potential to increase our own happiness through giving of our time and talent and treasure, to make our Episcopal Church forefathers proud of us, and to use our gifts to glorify the One who gave us the gifts in the first place, as stewards of His bounty, walking together in His Grace.
[1] The first recorded worship service using the English Prayer Book was led by Sir Francis Drake’s chaplain Francis Fletcher on the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist, June 24 (July 4) 1579. There is a large stone Celtic cross sculpture in Golden Gate Park commemorating this event, called the Prayer Book Cross or the Sir Francis Drake Cross. Samuel Seabury was elected bishop in Connecticut on March 25, 1783.
[2] See the research of Professor Laurence Iannaccone of Chapman University and Professor Jonathan Gruber of MIT, introduced in this podcast: https://freakonomics.com/podcast/does-religion-make-you-happy/
[3] According to the diocese’s congregational range sheet, Christ Church Eureka has the second highest average Sunday attendance in our range (D), but we are second-to-last in terms of our giving: https://www.norcalepiscopal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/2022-DioCon-%E2%80%93-Congregation-Range-Sheets.pdf
Christ Episcopal Church Eureka 