First Sarasota has moved to a new online giving platform to make giving easier and more secure for you! Church Center is a mobile app and web experience where you can explore, engage, and get involved throughout the week-including online giving.

This giving platform is secure and integrates with the rest of your Church Center account. It has a lower processing fee than our previous platform and adds text giving as an option!

If you need to log into our old platform to migrate your recurring giving, you may do so by clicking here. https://l.ead.me/ncsgiving

Once you setup your account in Church Center, you will able to access your giving history since January of 2024, including your giving statements. If you need to access your history beyond that, please give us a call at (941) 365-2846.

If you need to log into our old platform to migrate your recurring giving, you may do so by clicking here. https://l.ead.me/ncsgiving

Tithing is a biblical principle. God calls us to give the first 10% of our income back to Him. We’ve seen God provide abundantly in our church, and we know He will provide abundantly for you and your family when you put Him first in your finances. In fact, it’s the one area in the Bible where God tells you to test Him.

If you’re new to tithing and wondering how to tithe or how to calculate your tithing donation – we recommend starting with the biblical principle of giving 10% of all gross income.

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,' says the Lord Almighty, 'and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.'" Malachi 3:10

When you use your credit card or pay electronically, the organization receiving the payment pays a processing fee based on the total amount. That includes all of your past gifts to First Sarasota.

Our new giving system allows you to maximize your gift by covering the fees. This is optional. Simply uncheck the box and First Sarasota will pay the fees just as it has in the past. Giving by e-check (ACH) is the best way to avoid fees as it only comes with a 25-cent cost regardless of the amount.

You can edit your recurring giving by logging into your Church Center account. If you have trouble, our finance office would be happy to assist you. Call us at (941) 365-2846.

Church Center uses Plaid to verify your bank account. More than 4,500 companies trust Plaid because of its commitment to the security of your financial data. First Sarasota, nor the Church Center app have access to anything you enter into Plaid.

Alternatively, you can choose to manually verify your bank account by choosing the manual option. Here, you will add your account information the same way you would to set up online payments with other companies.

Once someone turns 73, specific amounts must be taken from retirement plans yearly, which is known as a required minimum distribution (RMD). This is subject to ordinary income tax and can be taxed federally and at the state level. To reduced taxable income, you may consider donating your RMD directly to First Sarasota through a qualified charitable distribution. When doing so, you lower your tax liability while fulfilling your RMD, and First Sarasota receives the founds without credit card fees.

In order to give through one of these methods, please call our finance office at (941) 365-2846.