Mercy Hill Presbyterian Church, Inc.
Mercy Hill is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization in the State of New Jersey. Because we are a non-profit, people who give money to our church recognize that they do not receive repayment from us, or economic benefits proportionate to their gift.
Because of this, the IRS recognizes that money given to organizations like ours are "non-exchange" transactions: your gift is not exchanged for something; instead, you are giving with the expectation that nothing tangible will be received in return.
Jesus put it this way:
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Luke 12:32-34 ESV, emphasis added)
Since your gifts relate to having "treasure in the heavens that does not fail," we try to honor your gift by making it easy for you to give financially, by tracking your gifts carefully, and by saying thank you.
In light of some issues that arise about the legal status of being a non-profit, here are a few frequently asked questions.
Q: What is a 501(c)3? Our church is a 501(c)3 organization in the state of New Jersey. These numbers refer to sections, and sub-sections of federal law--ie., "rule number 501, section c, sub-section 3."
This section of federal law means that since we are an organization that receives a significant amount of resources from resource providers who do not expect to receive economic benefits from the resources they give, those gifts can be used to reduce your taxable income.
In other words, a donor that makes a contribution to our church ministry does not expect a direct benefit. It isn't that there is no benefit whatsoever; it is only that those benefits you receive by giving money to our church ministry are intangible--not quantifiable by any ordinary calculator.
As mentioned above, Jesus calls these "treasures in the heavens" where "moth and rust do not destroy" and "theives cannot break in and steal."
Q: How does your mission relate to your non-profit status? This points out another aspect of a non-profit. We are set up as a religious (church-based) non-profit, which means our purppose is to pursue what the government generically refers to as our "exempt function," and what we would call "our mission" as a church: Helping people thrive in Christ. You can read more about our mission as a church elsewhere on this website.
Q: Is 501c3 biblical? Speaking of our mission, some Christians and Christian organizations have chosen to not affiliate with the state when it comes to this official "non-profit" status, believing it to be unbiblical to align with the federal government, which is unbiblical in so many different areas. As of this writing, it is not required that a church do so.
While we appreciate this conviction, and sympathize in some ways, Mercy Hill has chosen to do so because we do not feel presently hindered in our mission as a Christian church by maintaining our designation as a 501(c)3 organization.
If we were to be hindered in some way (ie., asked to compromise, in order to maintain our non-profit status, some tenet of the Scriptures as they are summarized in our church's constitution, the Westminster Standards), we would not cease to exist as a church, but we would no longer pursue, or maintain, our status as a 501(c)3 organization.
Q: Can I get a receipt for tax purposes? When people make contributions to our church, we will typically send them an end-of-year receipt for tax purposes. On that receipt can be found the following information. If you have made a gift to Mercy Hill and need this information for tax purposes, please copy and paste it for your records.
Mercy Hill Presbyterian Church, Inc., is a non-profit 501c(3) organization in the state of New Jersey (corporate id # 04002586 thirty two).
This receipt is a confirmation that no goods or services were provided by Mercy Hill in exchange for the gifts detailed above, and that all goods and services received by you entirely consisted of intangible religious benefits.
All or part of your gift may be tax deductible as a charitable contribution to the extent allowable by law. Please check with your tax advisor with any specific questions in this regard. For the record, Mercy Hill’s federal tax id (EIN) is twenty six - 3523215.
For clarification or for more information, please contact Mercy Hill’s administrative office at 1050 Holly Dell Ct., Sewell NJ 08080. You may also call us at 856 five-five-six 0627 or send an email to mercyhillnj at gmail dot com.
.