Fast offerings from full-time missionaries

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stmana-p40
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Fast offerings from full-time missionaries

#1

Post by stmana-p40 »

A full-time missionary serving in our ward desires to make a fast offering contribution. Our Biship could not find anything on point in the handbook. Question: what is the policy regarding such a contribution?

Thanks.
russellhltn
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#2

Post by russellhltn »

I don't understand the issue.
Have you searched the Help Center? Try doing a Google search and adding "site:churchofjesuschrist.org/help" to the search criteria.

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aebrown
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#3

Post by aebrown »

stmana wrote:A full-time missionary serving in our ward desires to make a fast offering contribution. Our Biship could not find anything on point in the handbook. Question: what is the policy regarding such a contribution?
Any person, member of the ward or not, can make fast offering donations. It's entirely appropriate for a missionary to make a fast offering donation. The ward would receipt it just like any other donation from a person who is not a member of the ward.
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ajames
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Fast Offerings

#4

Post by ajames »

Missionaries are also instructed to pay fast offerings, unlike tithing, in the ward where they are currently serving. So the missionary is paying the fast offering in the ward he is instructed to pay as well.
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aebrown
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#5

Post by aebrown »

Alan_Brown wrote:Any person, member of the ward or not, can make fast offering donations. It's entirely appropriate for a missionary to make a fast offering donation. The ward would receipt it just like any other donation from a person who is not a member of the ward.

For an actual handbook reference, see Book 1 (2006), p. 99: "Missionaries pay fast offerings through the ward in which they are serving."
BrainClay
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Missionary Fast Offering

#6

Post by BrainClay »

We used to get a chuckle out of this when I served in a mission presidency - the white missionary handbook instructs missionaries to donate fast offerings regularly, and from time to time we would get similar queries where the ward had no idea what to do with it! (In other words, most missionaries don't donate to fast offering!)

But what has been posted is correct - anyone can walk in off the street and donate money to any fund. You just create a new donor, and away you go. For example, my parents aren't members, but help pay for my kids' missions, and our clerks don't have any problem with that...
greggo
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#7

Post by greggo »

A bit off topic - but related.

When it comes time to print out tax statements for the missionaries who donated to FO, I would not bother trying to track them down.
jbh001
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#8

Post by jbh001 »

bcpalmer60 wrote:anyone can walk in off the street and donate money to any fund. You just create a new donor, and away you go.
To prevent the build-up of too many donors named Elder Smith, Elder Johnson, Elder Smoot, etc., I finally created a donor named "Full-Time Missionaries" to funnel these donations to.
russellhltn
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#9

Post by russellhltn »

jbh001 wrote:I finally created a donor named "Full-Time Missionaries" to funnel these donations to.
Just as long as you're never asked what one particular Elder donated. While it does keep things clean, a part of me cringes at the idea of lumping donors that way.
Have you searched the Help Center? Try doing a Google search and adding "site:churchofjesuschrist.org/help" to the search criteria.

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aebrown
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#10

Post by aebrown »

RussellHltn wrote:Just as long as you're never asked what one particular Elder donated. While it does keep things clean, a part of me cringes at the idea of lumping donors that way.
I have to agree. It's definitely contrary to policy, even if it might not matter to the missionaries in your area. It is conceivable (although admittedly unlikely) that a missionary would actually want a tax-valid statement at the end of the year. If you lump donors together, you will have no way of providing this statement (which by Church policy and U.S. law you are required to supply upon request).

Based on other posts, it doesn't seem like the volume of missionary donations would be that big of a burden. Perhaps your area has missionaries who are particularly faithful in donating fast offerings, which would be a good problem to have!
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