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Donation with Debit/Credit Card

Conveniently make an offering using your credit or debit card:

Donaye by Card

Donation via Bank

We appreciate your offerings to our Bank Account:

Receiver name: Romanian Orthodox Community and Parish of St. John the Baptist in Malta
IBAN: MT14APSB77013000000047104010015
Name bank: APS BANL – Sliema Branch
Bank address: 226, Tower Road, Sliema, SLM 1601
SWIFT Code: APSBMTMT 
Currency : EURO

Donation in Cash

We appreciate all offerings to help maintain our church and the services. If you seek to donate in cash, you can come visit our church during opening hours or join our service. We have a box for offerings right at the entrance. Feel free to add a prayer request to your offering.

If you’re looking to make a larger contribution, please talk to us.

If you require a receipt please speak to us in-person. We publish our financial audit annually for members of the church to have full transparency.

Donation in Bitcoin

Donate to the Romanian Orthodox Church in Malta with Bitcoin (Lightning Network)

Giving to the Church

“Thine own of Thine own, we offer unto Thee, in behalf of all and for all.”
— The Divine Liturgy

A Common Question

Many of us have heard — from books, online, or from other Christian traditions — that God requires us to give exactly 10% of our income to the Church, and that failure to do so means we will not be blessed. This teaching can create real anxiety, especially for those of us living far from home in Malta, working hard to support our families, pay our rent, and make ends meet month to month.

So what does the Orthodox Church actually teach about giving?

What the Orthodox Tradition Says

1. Tithing is a guide, not a rigid law.
The practice of giving 10% comes from the Old Testament and is a beautiful expression of gratitude to God. If you can give 10%, give 10%. If you can give more, give more. If your circumstances only allow a smaller amount — give that, gratefully and joyfully, without guilt or comparison to others. What matters is not the percentage, but the disposition of the heart.

2. The model is the widow’s mite, not the rich man’s tithe.
In the Gospels, a wealthy man enters the Temple and gives his required 10% — fulfilling the law, but giving out of duty and pride, from his abundance. A poor widow enters and gives two small coins — everything she had. Our Lord praised her above the rich man. This is the spirit of Orthodox giving: not a transaction, but an act of love and trust in God.

3. Give the “first portion,” not the leftovers.
The Orthodox tradition encourages us to set aside our gift to God before paying other expenses — not as a legalistic rule, but as a spiritual discipline. Whether that is €5, €20, or €100 a month, the principle is to offer God the first portion of what He has given us, as did Abel, who offered the first and best of his harvest. Even a small, consistent, and loving gift is more precious to God than a large one given reluctantly.

4. Prosperity gospel is not Orthodox gospel.
Some Christian traditions teach that giving a tithe guarantees material wealth — that money is a sign of God’s blessing. This is not the teaching of the Orthodox Church. Our Lord Himself warns against “laying up treasures on earth.” We give not to receive wealth in return, but out of pure love and thanksgiving for what God has already given us.

5. Giving is not only financial.
Our Lord says “when you give, when you fast, when you pray” — not “if.” Giving is not optional for Christians, but it is never reduced to money alone. If your financial means are truly limited, give generously of your time and talents instead. Our parish always needs volunteers — for the Romanian School, for community events, for helping neighbours in need, for welcoming new arrivals to Malta. Time and love given freely are treasures just as real as money.

A Word of Pastoral Comfort

If you are a Romanian or Moldovan living in Malta — perhaps supporting children, sending money home, paying rent in a foreign country — God sees your situation fully and loves you completely. No one in our parish will ever pressure you, judge you, or ask to see your payslip.

What we ask is simply this: give something, however small, with love. Light a candle. Drop a few coins in the collection. Volunteer an hour of your Sunday. Bring food for a neighbour in need. These are all offerings pleasing to God.

As Fr. George is always glad to say: in many years of priestly ministry, no one has ever gone bankrupt from giving to the Church — but many have found that God takes care of those who trust Him first.

How to Support Our Parish

Our small parish in Valletta relies entirely on the generosity of our community to maintain liturgical life, support the Romanian School, and keep our doors open to all who come.

You can contribute:

  • 🕯 At the candle stand — before or after Sunday Liturgy
  • 💶 In the Sunday collection — during the Divine Liturgy
  • 🏦 By bank transfer — contact Fr. George for details
  • ⏰ With your time — volunteer for the Romanian School, parish events, or community outreach
  • 🙏 With your prayer — the most powerful gift of all

📞 +356 7732 8474 | 📘 facebook.com/parohiamalta

“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
— 2 Corinthians 9:7