Easter Offering

Changes in the Easter Offering Process

The Easter Offering grant process is administered by the Marble Board Outreach Committee (Outreach Committee). This committee will select a group of congregants each year to sit on an Easter Offering Task Force committee.  Each year different congregants will be invited to sit on the Task Force so a wider range of congregants may get involved in the selection and vetting process.   

The functioning Easter Offering Task Force members will comprise of board members and congregants who are committed to outreach. They will have diverse backgrounds and skills in areas such as communications, non-profit management, financial management and issue-specific areas such as health care, homelessness, hunger, and education, which they will apply to the review and evaluate grant applications. Rev. Susanah Wade serves as the ministerial liaison to the Marble Board Outreach Committee.

The recent 2024 Easter Offering Survey (click here for survey results) is the basis for changes in the grant-making process starting in 2024. Survey results showed that most respondents give to the Easter Offering and wanted the following:

• More volunteer opportunities

• Grants to fewer organizations with larger grants

• More accountability to the Marble congregation

• Continuation of grants in the categories of Hunger, Shelter, Education, Health, and Social Justice and Empowerment

• Grants to local and U.S. organizations versus staying the same (i.e., local, national, international) polled equally

• Giving to support the day-to-day ministry work of Marble

Volunteer Opportunities: The survey stressed the importance of volunteerism. The grant application now requires recipients to document in detail volunteer opportunities they can provide to Marble community and how they will administer them for congregants. In the alternative, they may also present educational or informative programs that are of interest to the congregation throughout the year. Currently, and in the past, Marble has engaged in volunteer opportunities with several grant recipients including, the Bowery Mission, Women for Afghan Women, and PS 30 in New York City.  Ministry groups including CYF and Stephen Ministry have also done service projects with My Brother’s Workshop in St. Thomas, and other Marble groups have provided supplies and/or education for Mold Empower Serve (MES), Setshabelo, and SAHAC in South Africa.

What are future goals for the Marble congregation through the Easter Offering?

Strengthening ties between Marble’s ministries* and the population of the nonprofit organizations Marble supports is key to living into our core values and growing intergenerationally.  In 2025, our goal will be to ensure greater participation of the Marble ministries in the Easter Offering grant process. Furthermore,  we will ensure our various ministries have volunteer opportunities with these nonprofits. Ministries will have the opportunity to work collaboratively and do joint volunteer projects, thereby expanding the opportunity the congregation has to grow intergenerationally which can directly benefit the congregation.

Another goal is to strengthen ties with the other Collegiate Churches through collaborative support of organizations we mutually care about. We hope to encourage other joint projects with one or all of the Collegiate churches. Examples are reflected in joint service projects done between Marble’s CYF and Ft. Washington Collegiate and voting service projects between Marble and Middle Collegiate.

*CYF, Women’s Ministry,  GIFTS/LGBTQ+, Social Justice Ministry, Adult Education, Prime Time 55+, 20s/30s, Marble Meet Up, Adult Education, Stephen Ministry, Prayer Ministries, Arts, and Music.

Does my contribution matter? The answer is “Yes!” The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. - Psalm 118:24

This year, the Easter Offering Committee will focus on a base foundational goal of $160,000 to be distributed as grants to 16 organizations. This gives us room to grow towards a stretch goal of $200,000 that will allow us to give a few smaller grants. Setting a starting goal with fewer large grants and a stretch target complies with the survey results. We will concentrate on the weekly growth of our giving instead of an arbitrary goal. The more we give, the better we will be able to do in the world.

The survey results also showed that the congregation desired to direct monies to help support the day-to-day ministry work we at Marble.  Hence, we will do that through a Marble Match, whereby we invite the congregation to give a matching amount of whatever is given to support the work of the nonprofits we support.

How can I learn more? Organizational representatives of those we have given grants to in the past will speak at services and Coffee Hours during the Lenten season. Members of the Outreach Committee are happy to answer any questions, and will be appearing at Coffee Hours and Talk Back events after worship services. You can email them here.

How can I give?

• Give online here or use your Marble “Realm” account to give.

• Click on the blue Easter Offering button below the streaming window at MarbleChurch.org/Watch while watching a Sunday service.

• Text GIVEMCC Easter24 to 73256 to give using your mobile device. This number will never send unsolicited texts to you. To cancel further messages, text STOP. If you need assistance with text giving, text HELP. Standard text message and data rates may apply.

• Mail checks to Marble Collegiate Church, attention: Easter Offering, 1 West 29th Street, New York, NY 10001 or leave the checks in the donation boxes at the entrances to the church.

• Call or email Clay Hale, in the Marble Business Office at 212-686-2770, ext. 304 to give over the phone or get information about making a matching gift.