This widget will give you several options to support St. Mark’s!
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- Donations to Pledge is for those who have already pledged to St. Mark’s. To make a new pledge, please click here (now updated for 2025!).
- Loose Offering is for those who simply want to make a donation or “loose offering” to the church.
- Flower Guild Donations supports the Flower Guild’s purchase of flowers for the altar and church.
- Hot Meals Fund, which supports our monthly meal provided on the 3rd Saturday. The Hot Meals for the Hungry program has been around for over 30 years!
- Rector’s Discretionary Fund, which is distributed by the rector when requests and needs arise among the community.
- To donate to the Choir or other music programs like the Organ Recitals, please use the Music donation page.
- To make a single donation to our Mission Revival capital campaign, please select “Mission Rev. Single Donation.” To make a donation towards a pledge you have already made to the campaign, please select “Mission Rev. Donation to Pledge.”
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We would like to truly thank you for all of your support and generosity!
Ways to Pledge for 2025
- Here is the link to submit your information electronically: Online Pledge
- Here is the PDF attachment that you can print & email to office@stmarksberkeley.org OR mail to St. Mark’s at 2300 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA 94704: PDF Pledge Card
Ways to Give
- Mail a check to 2300 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA 94704
- Here is the link to donate Online
“Why I give”
I have always loved the scriptural reference to being watched by a cloud of witnesses.
Those enumerable good souls who have gone before us doing God’s work over the
centuries and also those we have known and loved here at St. Mark’s.
Every year Malcolm and I pledge both our time and money to support St. Mark’s, to
continue its many ministries and strive to be good stewards of what has been given us.
All this with the prayerful guidance and encouragement of Fr. Blake.
– Mary M.
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Our thinking must start with God’s generosity to us. God gives to us abundantly and graciously in creation and redemption, and in sustaining life, day by day. Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection and his aspiring his Holy Spirit on us reveal to us the astonishing depths of Godʼs generosity toward humankind. We often fear giving because it feels like a loss of what is “ours.” The mystery however, is that the more we give the more we get. If we give back to God and his Church what we are clinging to, our hands are free to receive what God is really trying to give us, which is often more fulfilling than that we feared letting go of in the first place.
The life of Jesus and his parables show what this generosity looks like translated into human behavior. In the life and stories of Jesus there are pointers to how we can live our lives in a different way – a way that is characterized by wholeness and blessing, which is Godʼs intention for us.
A sixth of Jesus’ recorded sayings and more than a third of his parables are about the relationship between a person and their money and possessions. For example, in St. Matthew’s Gospel, Christ pointed out in the Parable of the Talents that we are stewards of all that God has given us and one day we will give an account of our stewardship to God. In the Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul quoted Christ to the Elders of Ephesus, saying, “[i]t is more blessed to give than to receive.” And in St. Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews, he wrote that, “[g]iving is as much a part of our worship as our praise and prayer. “
As a result, the challenge for us as disciples of Jesus is to be prepared to do whatever is needed to align ourselves with ways of living and giving that release rather than obstruct the flow of Godʼs generosity. God brings in His Kingdom through us, creating a social order that not only provides for the needs of all, but also redefines abundant living from the accumulation of consumerism to the fulfillment found in Christ-centered lives.
But how much exactly should we give? It’s an individual decision and everyone’s circumstances vary, so we shouldn’t feel pressured by others. The Church of England’s guidance, through its General Synod, is that members of the Church should aim to give away a tenth of their income: 5% to and through their local church, and 5% to other good causes. One advantage of getting to a point of giving 10% of your income is that once you have set it up through automatic payments, you’re then liberated from thinking about giving any more and you know how much your income for your personal epicenter will be. However, many people make gradual steps in their giving.
God’s whole economy is a gift – the gift of the Father to the Son, and to the Spirit in the Trinity. The gift of Christ and salvation to and for us. The gift of himself to us in the Eucharist.
What he is calling you to give?
– Paul P.
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As most folks know, my dad was a Baptist minister and he took pledging very seriously. The day after I was baptized–at eleven years–he called me into his study and said, “Now that you have been baptized, your mother and I feel you should have an allowance. We’re going to give you a quarter each week [Remember, this was 70 some years ago!], provided (a pause) you give a nickel to the church every Sunday.” He handed me my own box of offering envelopes and sent me forth. And I’ve been pledging ever since! I was very proud to be part of supporting my church and as my income increased, so did my offering. It wasn’t very much for many years, but that didn’t bother me. I took great satisfaction in doing my part….and I still do.
– Alda M.
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St. Mark’s is my West Coast home. . .There are so many things I could not do alone: helping feed the hungry, reaching out to fight against injustice, and of course singing wonderful music! I am planning my pledge NOW.
– Margaret H.