God calls us to make a difference

1 John 3:17-18 says: “If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears.” Through your generous gifts to Shepherd of the Valley, we see God’s love changing lives, meeting needs, and restoring hope in our church, community, and world.

Together, we make a bigger difference than we could ever do alone.

FUND OPTIONS

We’re grateful for your support of any of the ministries at Shepherd of the Valley! Giving to the General Fund allows us the most flexibility in allocating your gifts to the greatest need. You can learn more about the General Fund and our other funds by clicking on the toggles below.

General Offerings (used in the General Fund) support all that we do. These cover our operational expenses (including our mortgage and facility needs), and enable ministries in our church, our community, and the world.

Shepherd of the Valley’s mission is supported in perpetuity using earned income on Endowment Fund investments. You can designate your gifts to general mission, education, or benevolence. Learn more.

Naming a specific ministry or need in the church can be a great way to follow your passion or honor someone special. Occasionally, there are limited-time causes to support. These are some of the ongoing opportunities:

  • Benevolence – General: This money is allocated by the Benevolence Leadership Team to our partner organizations. To learn more about these organizations and the impact they make in peoples’ lives, visit our Benevolence webpage.
  • Local Need: Donations here support immediate needs in Apple Valley and our neighboring communities.
  • Local Hunger: These gifts often supplement food donations for our Food Shelf and other initiatives in our communities that feed the hungry.
  • Emergency Shelter: In addition to volunteer opportunities, we offer financial support to the Dakota County Emergency Shelter for people experiencing homelessness from November through March.
  • ELCA Disaster Relief: When natural disasters occur, these donations support the survivors and recovery efforts.
  • Organ Fund: This fund supports the maintenance and potential future expansion of our pipe organ.
  • Tanzania Gifts: Through our Tanzania Partnership, we support ministries of evangelism, education, health care, and economic development.
  • Memorial Gifts: You can honor a loved one with a gift to the church in their name.

WAYS TO GIVE

You can make one-time or recurring donations through a secure donation site using your checking or savings account, or your debit or credit card.

Click here to enroll in Realm online giving and self-manage your plan. You can change recurring donations at any time.

Already do Simply Giving? Update your online Simply Giving choices. A paper Simply Giving form is available to download.

This option creates no fees for the church, and allows your bank to send a check to the church from your account. Work with your bank to determine an amount and frequency that work for you. Please list your envelope number in the “account number” section, and list your designation(s) in the memo line.

Text “SOTV” to 73256.

We take an offering at each worship gathering through cash, checks, or you can scan the QR code in the bulletin. Feel free to use the computer at the Welcome Center to give online! You can access your mobile giving page on your smart device or give on the Realm Connect app.

If you give on a regular basis with cash or personal checks, please consider using an envelope that has a number assigned to your name. To receive envelopes, contact Dawn.

For individuals aged 70 ½ or older, you can direct all or a portion of your RMDs (required minimum distributions) from your individual retirement accounts to the church tax free.

The IRS allows the direct transfer of stock to the church, and allows the donor to deduct the value of the stock on the day you gave it to the church as a donation on your tax return. You do not have to report the gain in value of your stock as income, and the church can sell the stock with no tax consequences.

The process of transferring stock is very easy and you can download the instructions to learn more. Please contact the church before you begin any paperwork to initiate a transfer or sign your stock certificates.

You can support our ministry directly or through a bequest, IRA or retirement benefit plan, life insurance, stocks, bonds, or other assets.

If you’re a member of Thrivent Financial, you can apply for one or two $250 Community Impact Cards each year. More information is found at www.thrivent.com.

Check with your employer to see if they donate to charitable organizations through a payroll deduction or if they match your gifts.

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