Worshipy Question - When Do You...

When do you take up offering during worship service?  Or do you even take up an offering during your worship services?

We've done a few different things at Grace and are currently "passing the plates" at the close of our services.  In the past, we would collect during the begining of the service within the first 15-20 minutes while in the midst of the music/praise time of the service or even in the middle of a message (maybe once or twice).  In the current slot of doing it at the close, the thinking is that it gives people an opportunity to respond to what God may have been doing in their heart during the service.  One other issue about our offering time is that it not only is our time to "give back to God" but it also serves as the time where people can submit a completed "Connect Card" also known in many churches as "Welcome Cards" (I've included a pic of the front and back of the card to the right). Having the offering at the end helps us to also receive more cards once people have heard the message, participated in the worship and have decided to reach out to Grace by allowing us to help them get connnected.

Here's our current service order:

• 5 Minute Countdown Clock
• Song (5 mins)
• Welcome/greeting (talk about the Connect Card) (2 mins)
• Song (5 mins)
• Song (5 mins)
• Baptisms (5 mins)
• Song (5 mins)
• Message (35 mins)
• Song (offering) (5 mins)
• Closing announcements (5 mins)

So what do you guys think?  Does your church designate a time for giving during the services? If so, when do you guys do it?  Where do you Gracers like the offering during service?  Or do you not like taking offering at all during a service?