We practice radical generosity because we can do more together than any of us might manage on our own; because it is in giving that we ourselves receive; because the world out there needs more kindness, more truth, more peace, more mercy, more love for the stranger and help for the alien.
Your financial gifts ensure that our doors are wide open, our children are nurtured in a strong and supple faith, that we stand alongside the poor and oppressed, work for justice, wage peace, make music, and worship and praise God.
Each of the members of Old South Church commits annually, or "pledges", a certain financial donation toward that year's operating budget. Together, our dollars fuel the church's ministries. We ask members to consider pledging a percentage of their income: 1%, 2% up to 10%. We ask members to "Give until it feels good!"
When you make a bequest to Old South Church of any kind or size, you become a member of the Mary Norton Society. Planned giving allows us to support the church in perpetuity; gifts will be placed in our endowment and used to fuel ministries far into the future. Planned giving also offers tax benefits. You may want to consult a financial advisor or attorney. The most common types of planned gifts include Will, Retirement Plan, Life Insurance Policy, and Charitable Trust.
An act of generosity created our church. In 1669 Mary Norton gave to our forebears a deed of land on which to build our first Meeting House. Hers was a gift for God’s future. Successive generations followed her example, remembering the church with gifts both large and small. By naming Old South in your estate plans you become a member of the Mary Norton Society.
There are numerous ways you can give to the church, such as:
We are the beneficiaries of generations before us. We experience their generosity every day, attending Worship, volunteering to help those in need, and participating in fellowship and community. Let’s ensure that future generations will experience the same. Please consider naming Old South in your estate planning.
Oct 2, 1602 – January 17, 1677
In 1669, self-described “relict widow” Mary Norton waded into the middle of the most heated public controversy of her day. The “dissenting brethren” of First Church in Boston wanted to create a community where the waters of baptism could be poured out more liberally. But they had no land, and without land their dream would go unfulfilled. Mary Norton threw her lot in with these dissenters, who with her help founded Old South Church. She asserted her will and supported the upstart church with a gift of land on which to build our first structure, the Cedar Meeting House.