Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10
The apostle Paul writes "We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us..." meaning that we've all been given grace by our generous God. We encourage you to remember how generous God has been to you and how secure your future is in Christ. We are convinced that we have received blessings so that we can be a blessing for others within our community, in the city of Paris, and around the world.
The ministry of the American Church in Paris depends on you. We consider the Service of Worship to be at the heart of our life together at ACP. Through our dynamic music programs, the reading and preaching of the Scriptures, congregational prayer, a special time for our children, and a variety of special occasions associated with the Church's liturgical calendar, we give ourselves to the worship of God each and every Sunday – in the Sanctuary or virtually. ACP also hosts a wide variety of regular activities and programs and special events within our facilities and has many community outreach programs
The ACP relies on your gifts to fund its programs, operations, and outreach. Together with our parent organization, The American and Foreign Christian Union (AFCU), the ACP has many ways to receive your gifts.
A potential key consideration for you as a donor is where you wish to utilize the tax benefit of your donation. The ACP is a French 1905 Association Cultuelle (religious non-profit association) and is therefore authorized to issue tax receipts eligible for tax reductions for French taxpayers. Donors who are US taxpayers may prefer to give through the AFCU, a US 501(c) 3 non-profit organization that is authorized to issue receipts to support donations deductible to US taxpayers. Your tax advisor will be able to provide guidance on which organization is the most tax effective for your personal situation.
Whether you give to the ACP or to the AFCU, your donation will help to support the ACP's mission programs, activities, and other expenses. The American Church's operating costs depend significantly on the generosity of its members, friends, visitors and alumni around the world who have been touched by its ministries.
At ACP, approximately 58% of your donations support our Worship Services, Missions and Ministries, including pastoral costs, music, mission outreach, and community programs like Christian education, Youth & Young Adult, Bloom and many others.
Approximately 28% of your donations support our ACP facilities, including utilities, maintenance, property projects and repairs. While the sanctuary is not open currently, we must continue to be good stewards of this amazing more than 90-year-old building so that it is preserved for many generations and continues to be the Beacon on the Seine! The remainder of your donations – approximately 14% pays for our office support staff including our general manager and finance team that manage our rentals with the schools and others.
To give to the American Church in Paris (for a benefit on French taxes) the following giving methods are possible:
Bank transfer or virement in Euros – You can set up a one-time or periodic automatic bank transfer from your European bank directly to the ACP bank account. This is one of the most seamless methods of giving as your donation goes directly to the ACP bank account with no processing fees or commissions. How? Easy – read this Simplify Your Stewardship document. Once you have set up your virement, please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , as we want to ensure we have your contact details on file to facilitate sending you an annual French tax receipt.
On-line Bank Card & PayPal Giving – Donate here, choosing Bank card or PayPal on 3rd screen of donation system:
Donate to ACP using bank card & PayPal
Cash/Check – Cash or check donations payable to the ACP in either Euros or US dollars are received during the offertory time at each of our services, by the receptionist at the church, or via mail/la poste to our accountant at:
The American Church in Paris
Attention: Accountant
65 quai d'Orsay
75007 Paris
FRANCE
Please be sure to include your name, address and email details to facilitate our mailing of a French tax receipt after the end of the calendar year. As with donations via bank transfer, your donation by cash or check goes 100% to the benefit of the ACP with no processing fees or commissions.
Contactless Credit Cards – We recently added electronic offering baskets that work with “sans contact” (contactless) bankcards at our worship services to accommodate the growing number of worshipers who do not regularly carry cash or checkbooks. We will be happy to provide tax receipts for donations through the electronic offering baskets, however, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to find out how to securely register your “sans contact” bank card with the system provider.
Credit Card Kiosk – A credit card kiosk is located in the narthex of the ACP to allow for larger credit card giving in person. The kiosk accepts both French and foreign contactless cards, cards with a “puce” or chip and pin code, or cards without a pin code. It also includes an option to input you email address in order to receive a tax receipt.
Other Financial Gifts – We welcome other forms of financial gifts denominated in US Dollars or Euros. Examples include stocks, bonds, etc. If you have a financial gift that you would like to share with ACP that is not covered herein, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Planned Giving – Planned Giving, through estate planning, is a great way to ensure on-going financial support for ACP and our ministries and, in many cases, receive tax benefits. Some examples of planned giving include:
- Bequests – Designating a gift to ACP in your will is a great way to ensure continued support for our ministries.
- Life Insurance – You can designate ACP as a beneficiary to your life insurance policy to leave assets to the church.
- Charitable Remainder Trust – Creation of a charitable remainder trust will irrevocably transfer money or appreciated assets to a trust that will provide you with income for the remainder of your life or a set number of years. At the death of the last surviving beneficiary of the trust, the remaining value of the trust goes to the designated charitable organization (ACP). Please talk with your financial planner to find out more about these types of financial instruments to support the ministry and mission of the ACP.
- For more information on planned giving, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
US Tax Deductions – If you wish to qualify for a U.S. tax benefit for your donation, please donate to ACP via our parent organization, the American & Foreign Christian Union (AFCU) here.
Check – Your check should be made payable to The American & Foreign Christian Union (AFCU), an IRS category 501(c)(3) organization with the words "for ACP Stewardship" in the memo line. This documentation is required to ensure that your donation is designated for the American Church in Paris as the AFCU supports other international churches. You can drop your check in the offering plate during one of our services or at the ACP reception. You can also mail your check directly to the AFCU:
American & Foreign Christian Union
c/o Treasurer
2885 Sanford Ave. SW #29934
Grandville, MI 49418
USA
Electronic Fund Transfers – Electronic Fund Transfers are an easy way to send your financial support for the ACP through the AFCU. To make a transfer for the ACP using PayPal, please visit the AFCU website here. Please be sure to specify that your gift is designated "for ACP Stewardship" in the instructions field. This documentation is required to ensure that your donation is designated for the American Church in Paris as the AFCU supports other international churches.
Endowment funds -The American Heritage Society – The American and Foreign Christian Union has established endowment funds to help sustain our long-term ministry. Gifts from estates are a fundamental way these endowments are funded. If you would like to participate in growing these endowment funds, please contact the AFCU at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Your gift should be made payable to The American & Foreign Christian Union (AFCU), an IRS category 501(c)(3) organization with the words "for ACP Stewardship" in the memo line (for checks) or in the instructions field (for PayPal). This is also necessary to obtain the estate tax benefits (IRC Section 2055) as a charitable contribution. The documentation must be specific if you desire to have your gift benefit The American Church in Paris. If there is no designation the gift will be used by the AFCU to support all of the churches the organization supports.
If you have any additional questions about giving to the American Church in Paris, don’t hesitate to ask but sending an email message to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
We are thankful for your faithful giving, which is critical for the ACP to remain a “Beacon on the Seine” for years to come.
ACP Legal Status
The American Church in Paris, l'Eglise Americaine de Paris,
association cultuelle régit par la loi de décembre 1905,
inscrite au RCS de Paris sous le numéro SIRET : 78430813200017 code NAF 9491Z.
Commissaire aux Comptes, Cabinet Solsequia Finance, 135 Avenue du Général Leclerc, 78220 VIROFLAY