It s Lunchtime On A Drizzly Wet Wednesday

It's lunchtime on a drizzly wet Wednesday.

I wander into the beautiful St Mary Abbots Church in London's Kensington for a little divine inspiration and relief from the incessant rain. A building that exudes calmness, kindness and serenity.
There's a 'Eucharists of Healing' service scheduled for early afternoon and I'm tempted to stay and think about those close to me who are struggling to shake off life's slings and arrows - a 91-year-old aunt recovering from a nasty fall and a nephew struggling to come to terms with the death of his caring and deeply religious mother.

But deadlines press.
Outside, the children of the adjoining school are noisily enjoying their lunch break. All rather endearing. Life enhancing.
Heaven sent: The collection plate that takes both cash and cards
As I look for a pew to sit down in and contemplate for a moment or two, tour du lịch yên tử my eye is immediately drawn to a device atop a plinth, emitting a blue light. 
More 21st Century high tech than anything else inside the church's peaceful walls.

It's a contactless card reader with a simple but compelling message: kynghidongduong.vn 'Please support our beautiful church.'
In less time than it takes to say the first 20 words of the Lord's Prayer, I've waved my Visa debit card across it and made a donation to this glorious church on my doorstep. 
Immediately, I feel a little more righteous, refreshed and ready to face the challenges of the afternoon.
RELATED ARTICLES [# Previous] [# 1] [# Next] [/money/news/article-7144897/This-woman-crusading-against-cashless-society-saviour-cash.html This woman is crusading against the cashless society - so,... ] [/money/news/article-7129865/Banks-pledge-protect-notes-coins-amid-fears-Britain-cashless-society.html Banks pledge to protect notes and coins amid fears Britain... ] [/money/cardsloans/article-7116603/MasterCards-Mark-Barnett-working-Monzo-paying-app-cash.html 'The next five to 10 years will be all about the app':... ] [/money/saving/article-7119371/Lloyds-talked-pricey-card-reader-shut-branch.html 'Lloyds talked me into a pricey card reader, then shut down... ] Share this article Share 1.3k shares HOW THIS IS MONEY CAN HELP [ What you need to know each week: Listen to the This is Money podcast ] St Mary Abbots was the first church in the country to embrace new payment technology in March last year.

This was in response to a 50 per cent decline in cash donations over five years.
Now churches up and tour yên tử down the country are increasingly turning towards contactless card payments - and other forms of non-cash based donations - to stop their income falling off a proverbial cliff.
<div class="art-ins mol-factbox floatRHS money" data-version="2" id="mol-c7340430-9509-11e9-bab3-451f8c83e384" website Lord! Now even church collection plates are contactless