Financial Stewardship

Your financial support is vital to the well-being of our church and school!

Each week St. Stephen parishioners present their offertory gifts as an expression of faith in support of our mission. In addition to Sunday offertory giving, there are other opportunities to give and support your parish home – scroll this page to learn more!

Online Giving

All registered parishioners receive Sunday Stewardship envelopes in the mail which may be placed in the offertory basket at Mass or mailed to the church office. We encourage you to set up an account with OSV Online Giving. Online Giving is a simple and easy way to support our continued mission here at St. Stephen. The program allows you to make offertory gifts from your device or computer.

Memorials & Tributes

Looking for a way to acknowledge someone who has touched your life?

Fundrasing Events

Join others for fun, fellowship, and to raise some money! Learn more about our fundraising events:

  • Trivia Night: Teams of 8 compete in a friendly trivia held annually in January
  • Dinner & Auction: our largest fundraiser held in March, which includes dinner, a silent and live auction and more.
Give and it will be given to you. They will pour into our lap a good measure — pressed down, shaken together, and running over
Luke 6:38

Additional Ways Support Your Church

St. Stephen Legacy Circle

Have you remembered St. Stephen the Martyr Catholic Church in your estate plans? When you include St. Stephen in your charitable estate plans, you leave a legacy of love and faith that provides financial support after your lifetime. Your planned gift today can make a big difference for our parish tomorrow!

Employer Match

Does Your Employer Match Gifts? Many area employers will match charitable contributions made by their employees and retirees, sometimes even on a one-to-one basis. We encourage you to check with your employer to see if you are eligible for a matching gifts program. Please note many employers will match gifts to schools, but not parishes or religious organizations. St. Stephen the Martyr Catholic School is an eligible entity.

Gifts of Appreciated Stock

There are many advantages to donating stocks and mutual funds as a method of giving to St. Stephen. If you have owned publicly traded or closely-held stocks for “more than one year,” they are considered appreciated assets and can be transferred directly to the church. In return, you as the donor receive an income tax deduction for the current fair market value of the stock regardless of what you originally paid for it. In addition, you avoid paying capital gains tax on the gift.

The maximum deduction you may take within a given tax year is 30 percent of your adjusted gross income and if you are unable to take the entire deduction in one year, you may carry the excess deduction forward for five additional years.

To complete the transfer of a gift of stock to St. Stephen the Martyr Catholic Church, the stock must be transferred (not sold) to St. Stephen’s brokerage account. To ensure proper posting and crediting of the stock transfer gift, it is very important for donors to contact the church at (402) 896-9675 in advance.

IRA Charitable Rollover Gift

The IRA Charitable Rollover allows you to transfer any amount (up to $100,000) directly to St. Stephen the Martyr Catholic Church by instructing your retirement account custodian. This transfer can potentially fulfill your required minimum distribution while avoiding paying excess income taxes. If you are 70 ½ or older, you can use your individual retirement account (IRA) to support St. Stephen the Martyr Catholic Church and further its mission to be a community for all to encounter Christ, know Christ, and proclaim Christ.

Stewardship

Time, Talent and Treasure

Stewardship is not a program. It is a way of life. It is rooted in an awareness that we have been abundantly blessed by God. Our lives, our families, and all our possessions ultimately come to us from God. This awareness leads us to be grateful. Our response to God’s generosity is to be generous ourselves and to commit to give generously a portion of our time, talents, and treasure for the advancement of the Kingdom of God.