AKRON, OH — The deacon board of Crossroads Bible Church voted unanimously this week to expand its accepted offering formats to include Venmo, Zelle, three major cryptocurrencies, and what treasurer Hank Purnell, 64, reluctantly described as “emotional support,” after the average Sunday cash offering fell to $3.12 and, on one occasion, an expired coupon for Arby’s.

“We’re meeting people where they are,” said Pastor Bill Ostrander, 53, gesturing toward the newly redesigned collection plate, which now features a laminated QR code, a printed Venmo handle (@CrossroadsBible-Tithes), and a small handwritten note reading “We also accept prayer.”

The “emotional support” category was added after congregant Denise Farrow, 47, placed a folded note in the plate reading, “I can’t give money right now but I want you to know I appreciate everything this church does and I made a casserole for the potluck.” Purnell said the finance committee debated for forty minutes whether to count it as a contribution and ultimately created a new line item in the budget titled “Non-Monetary Encouragements.”

“Last Sunday a twenty-two-year-old sent us 0.0003 Bitcoin. I don’t know what that is in dollars. I don’t know what that is in anything. But he seemed very proud.”

Purnell added that the crypto contributions have introduced “a level of volatility to the church budget that I was not emotionally prepared for,” noting that a donation received on Sunday morning was worth $14.50 by the time he recorded it Monday and $11.20 by Wednesday.

Despite the new formats, overall giving remains down 18% from pre-pandemic levels, a trend Ostrander attributed to “the economy, inflation, and the fact that nobody carries cash anymore except Harold, and Harold gives exactly one dollar every week in coins.”

At press time, a teenager had attempted to contribute a gift card with an unknown balance, and Purnell was seen holding it up to the light.