Also, could someone explain to me why this is done? I always just put my offerings in with the same check I write for tithing. Today was the first time I've ever had a YM at my door asking for my fast offering. I had heard some places still did this, but had never lived in one of those places.
__________________
"The promptings of the Holy Ghost will always be sufficient for our needs if we keep to the covenant path. Our path is uphill most days, but the help we receive for the climb is literally divine." --Elaine S. Dalton
I dont know why they do this. We used to live somewhere where they did this on occasion but not regularly so we never knew if or when they would show up.
Maybe that's a question you should ask your bishop. It is one of the duties of the aaronic priesthood under the direction of the bishop. I'm sure he would be happy to explain the principle to you.
My husband is the financial clerk in our ward and I asked him once why they did this since most people just put offerings in with the tithing check. He said you'd be shocked how many less active people give fast offerings when the aaronic priesthood comes by; people who never pay tithing. Guess that's why.
Ok, thanks Dyany. I knew it was a duty of the Aaronic Priesthood, but I was still wondering why they were doing it when most people do just put it in with tithing. I was having a hard time with the concept that it might just be for the young men to have a duty to do. (Does that make sense?) I guess in my mind Heavenly Father wouldn't want people to make extra work away from their families on a Sunday without a very good reason. (But that might just be my bias because I'm so busy other days of the week.) I can conceive that their are blessings for doing your duty, but I was just wondering about why that duty needed doing.
__________________
"The promptings of the Holy Ghost will always be sufficient for our needs if we keep to the covenant path. Our path is uphill most days, but the help we receive for the climb is literally divine." --Elaine S. Dalton
Way back when I was bishop, we put lists together of less actives who wouldn't have contact with the Church in any other way, we sent the Aaronic priesthood to these homes and often they would give.
Our current bishop sends YM to active homes so that they can have a positive experience. Apparently one young man went to a less active persons home and had a gun pulled on him telling him never to come back. There's a journal writing moment!
__________________
no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing... the truth of God will go forth till it has penetrated every website, sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the great Jehovah shall say the work is done
We get YM every month. They've asked we pay FO to them, and then tithing separately at church. So we write two checks, which is less than perfectly convenient, but why not do it if they ask.
I just save my tithing and put it all in one check to give to the boys. Or not... sometimes I give the check to the bishopric at church. I can't think of a good reason to ask people to write out two checks. That's just more work for the guys counting up the money after church.
i just drove around my son today to collect fast offerings. Many wards in Northern Colorado do it. But evidently not in the stake Hiccups used to be in.
__________________
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen! - Samuel Adams
I am sure it also depends upon the location one lives. I just think there is so much to do, if this can be done w/the tithing, let it be done that way. People have other good things to do on Sunday-- ie ht/vt. Plus it is another thing that seems to take time from family. However, I do see what you are saying about those who are less active and might not otherwise pay.
Our bishop explained a couple of times that collecting fast offerings is a duty of the Aaronic Priesthood. He asked us to support them in fufilling this duty by paying our fast offering when they came around.
It seems that many members of our ward had been (occasionally in a less than polite manner) telling the young men to stop coming, as they paid fast offering with their tithing. Some had placed notes inside the little blue envelope, requesting that the young men not be sent to their homes.
I just put my sealed tithing/fast offering envelope in the blue envelope when they come around. The young men are always amazed that I have it ready for them.
Sometimes, if it's going to be more than a week between payday and fast Sunday, I write two checks, like Janey does. I think the "two check" method is most correct, because tecnically you aren't supposed to give tithing to anyone except a bishopric member.
That's just more work for the guys counting up the money after church.
That's what I thought, and remembered from being a financial clerk at one time. It's one check and slip to count up and enter into the system, but as Janey noted that is what our ward wants us to do, even if we pay both together at church. Heck for that matter they insist that we write our last name on the outside of the envelope even when we are handing the envelope to a member of the bishopric at church. It's not a big thing, but it seems silly since, again from my experiences, the money counters don't look at the outside of the envelopes. All the important data is on the donation slips or even just on the checks. I say it's not a big thing but Janey writes our name there since I refuse to, silly me.
p.s. something is still screwy with this system, notice the line break between "at" and "church", and the one on the next line where there is obviously room for more text before the word wrap. I can't get rid of either break.
It is inappropriate to be including checks for tithing (or any other sort of donation) in the Fast Offering pouches, sealed or unsealed donation envelope. Only fast offerings.
It may seem like a trivial thing and a hassle to write out two checks, but the only thing the Aaronic Priesthood holders are to be collecting is Fast Offerings. All other donations, particularly Tithing, are supposed to be either hand or postal delivered to the Bishop / Branch President or one of his councilors.
The Bishop has stewardship over all donations until it is deposited in the bank. He is answerable to both The Lord and the Priesthood leadership of the Church if anything goes missing.
For Fast Offerings, it is pretty simple to identify a single point of failure if donation(s) go missing between the time the donation is made and the clerk / bishopric member does the bookkeeping when the same Deacon / Teacher / or Priest is assigned the same route each month. In fact, I received a call last night shortly before the Devotional started from our YM president asking if I remembered who all had taken routes in Deacon's Quorum that morning. Two pouches of envelopes had not been returned by the appointed hour. We were able to figure out who had not returned within the matter of a minute.
Okay, so why is it okay to give Fast Offering donations to a Deacon who comes by?
The Bishop, as president of the Priest's Quorum, has delegated the authority to collect these funds to the Deacon's quorum president who also hold priesthood keys. It is within the rights of the Aaronic Priesthood (which the Deacons, Teachers and Priests hold) to be assisting the Bishop to look after the temporal needs of the Church (and it's members). The Aaronic Priesthood collecting fast offerings in a regular fashion has been in place since the 1890's, when members of the Church and Utah in general evolved from a barter based economy to cash based. Prior to this, the practice was that people actually brought the goods (foodstuffs) that they had not partaken of during the fast period to the fast and testimony meeting. They would bring them to the meeting and hand them over to the individual the Bishop had assigned to be responsible for collecting these goods and then distributing them to those who were in need.
The flip side of collecting the fast offering is to include the Aaronic Priesthood holders in service projects where they can actually see how these Fast Offerings are used to help those in need... Bishop's Storehouse assignments, and service to those in need other ways.
If your ward collects Fast Offerings by sending the Aaronic Priesthood out to collect and you opt not to support this, you may inadvertantly send the wrong message to these young priesthood holders as they learn, enhance their testimony, and grow to love magnifying the priesthood they were ordained to.
And, there is nothing to prevent you from donating more Fast Offering with your tithing check a second time if you so choose.
__________________
It seems to me the only thing you've learned is that Caesar is a "salad dressing dude."
It is within the rights of the Aaronic Priesthood (which the Deacons, Teachers and Priests hold) to be assisting the Bishop to look after the temporal needs of the Church (and it's members). Which temporal needs of the church seems to me to include collection of tithing when so tasked. And when collecting Fast offerings the young men are acting in behalf of the Bishop, and thus can receive any and all donations placed into the envelope. Otherwise the church should remove Fast Offerings from the donation slips, and put them on their own slip.
If the slip has the option of paying multiple types of donations at once; and it's lookiling like I can't get into church this week or even month, I am going to use the offered opportunity to write one check, break down what money goes where on the all inclusive donation slip and put it in the convienient blue envelope the Bishop's representatives have brought to my front porch.
But then that is all just my opinon, based on my limited understanding and my time as a financial clerk several years ago.
I don't know how it works in other wards, but in our ward we have been specifically told not to put tithing donations into the envelope that the aaronic priesthood brings around. And we have been told to give our fast offerings only to the Aaronic priesthood when they come around. But that's counsel specifically for our ward. Your mileage may vary.
__________________
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen! - Samuel Adams
yeah the aaronic priesthood should not be delivering your tithing for you, the intention is for fast offerings solely.
Btw, I tend to give more because they come regularly, even if I also pay at the same time as tithing. I don't know why it is, but I'm in my home, and I think, things are pretty good.
--Ray
__________________
I'm not slow; I'm special. (Don't take it personally, everyone finds me offensive. Yet somehow I manage to live with myself.)
