Service times:
Saturday 6 p.m. and Sundays 9:21 & 11 a.m.
1520 East Jackson Street, Thomasville
Online Giving:
Online giving is a safe and easy way to support the ministries of The Gathering. This system enables you to support the church by making a one-time contribution or establishing a recurring contribution.
3 Simple Steps
- Create a user id and password.
- Provide contact and bank or credit card information.
- Indicate the amount, frequency (one-time or recurring) and designation for your gift.
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Click here to get started with Online Giving.
(we encourage you to read the Benefits, Frequently Asked Questions, Security and Policies below before you begin.)
Benefits
There are several benefits to online giving for both you and the
church.
- First Fruits - In Proverbs 3:9 we are taught to honor the Lord with the "First Fruits" of our labor. By setting up a recurring contribution that is scheduled to come out of your account on the day you specify you can ensure that your First Fruits are given back to God.
- Simplicity - You will not need to remember if you gave this month or send in your offering checks when you are out of town.
- Security - Online giving is more secure than giving with a check in that an electronic gift can't be lost or stolen. For additional information on how The Gathering keeps your information and contributions secure click here.
- No Distractions - Instead of needing to worry about writing your contribution check during the service, you can be fully engaged with the worship service, knowing that you have already given your offering.
- Helping The Gathering - Online contributions require less processing from our administrative staff since the information is logged and deposited automatically.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is it safe to give online?
Yes. In many ways giving online is safer than writing a check
because an electronic gift cannot be lost or stolen. The security of
the system is continually managed by our management software,
Fellowship One.
Q: What types of bank accounts can I give from?
You can give online from your checking account, MasterCard, Visa,
Discover, or American Express.
Q: Are there any fees involved with giving online?
Not to you. You will not pay any fees with an online gift. In
addition, online gifts are a more cost efficient way for the church
to process donations.
Q: Can I make a one-time contribution?
Yes. The system allows you the option of either making a one-time
contribution or setting up a recurring contribution. For a one-time
contribution, you can designate that the contribution should be made
immediately or, for both one-time and recurring contributions, you
can schedule the contributions to come out of your bank account on
the date(s) specified by you.
Q: If I want to set-up a recurring gift, what are my options for
frequency of my gift?
For recurring gifts, you have the option of giving weekly, twice a
month, every two weeks or once a month.
Q: Can I change my personal information or the amount or the
frequency of my gift once I have set it up?
Yes. You can change or cancel your contribution at any time before
the date of your next contribution. Simply log in to the system
using your user name and password and make the necessary changes in
the system.
Q: Can I review my donation history online?
Yes. The site will allow you to view the complete history of your
contributions, given either online or otherwise. Once you’ve created
an account, you will able to contribute immediately. However, for
security purposes, before you can see any past contributions, we
must manually connect your online account with your previous
information. This is a one-time process when you initially create
your account. After that, you can view your history at any time. For
more information, see our security policy.
Q: Will I still receive regular contribution statements from the
church?
Yes. The church will continue to send year-end contribution
statements to your address on file for tax purposes.
Q: When will contributions be taken from my account?
Contributions will be taken from your specified bank account within
48 business hours of the date you requested. This time frame allows
time for the contribution to process through your bank and the
church’s bank. If the date of your contribution falls on a weekend
or a holiday, the transaction will be initiated on the next banking
day.
Q: Can I designate my gift to a particular cause?
Yes, you can designate your gift to go toward tithes and offerings
or our poor and needy fund. We may also add additional causes at
specific times.
Q: How will I know that I set up my gift correctly?
Immediately after submitting your contribution, you will receive an
e-mail verifying your contribution.
Q: Does it matter which Internet browser I use?
No. Any browser will work.
Q: Will I be able to give to special TGC campaigns (Relocation,
Christmas, etc.) online?
During times when these campaigns are occurring, you will be able to
give a one-time contribution to support the given initiative or
campaign.
Q: I have additional questions about online giving that have not
been addressed. Who can I talk to?
For any questions, concerns or comments about the online giving
system, please contact us. You will
receive a response from our staff as soon as possible.
Q: What types of bank accounts can I give from?
You can give online from your bank account via an ACH transaction.
You can also give using MasterCard, Visa, Discover, or American
Express.
Q. Can I use a debit card?
You can use a debit check card from Visa or MasterCard, but true
debit cards are not accepted through the Fellowship One system due
to the sensitivity of securely requesting a Personal Identification
Number (PIN). ACH bank drafts can be used instead for true debits.
Security
At The Gathering, we use an online database called Fellowship
One. Their system allows us to provide access to your contribution
records and allows you to make donations online. They provide all of
the security for the system. This system is used by churches
throughout the country and has been fully tested by them.
There are two aspects of security related to the system. First, Fellowship One provides data security using the latest security technology. The following statement is from their security documentation: "[the system] utilizes the most current encryption technology to maintain the security of your data. Every parameter passed in the hyperlinks is fully encrypted. Additionally, the Login module handles passwords using what is known in technical terms as salted hash. In laymen’s terms, this means it would take 50 computers (running constantly) continuously presenting password combinations four years to discover the password."
The second aspect of security relates to account creation. When you first create a new account in the system, you will be able to donate immediately, but you will not have access to any previous contribution information. Before that can happen, we must manually link your previous information to the account you created.
In order to verify the authenticity of the account request, we will ensure that all of your data matches our current records (e.g., address, phone number, and email address). If there is any question, we will contact you before creating the link. Since this is a manual process, we will perform these steps approximately once a week, but if you would like to speed up this process, you can call the church office, 229-226-1444.
When you create your account, you will determine your own login id and password. If you forget your login id or password, you can have the system email it to you by entering the email address that you used when you created your account. If you need help or cannot remember the email address you used, you can contact us. You can also change your password at any time.
Please help us keep your information safe by protecting your login information. Access to sensitive personal and financial information can be gained by letting someone else use your account or by leaving the information for someone else to see. The Gathering will never call you to ask for your login information.
Our Policies
Your information is held securely by the Fellowship One system. This
information will remain private and will never be given away to
third parties, other than to process your scheduled contributions.
You can schedule new contributions at any time and can modify or cancel those contributions at any time prior to the date they are scheduled. Once the contribution has been processed, however, it cannot be cancelled. If you have any problems or questions related to this, please contact us.
*All gifts are 100% tax deductible and checks may be made out to The Gathering.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions!
