Pledge Campaign

Pledge Campaign 2012

Step Up For a New Day

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First Congregational Church of Darien

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Do you have questions about pledging? Here are some answers. If your question has not been answered below, please contact any member of the pledge committee: Jeff Long, Ella Long, MaryAnn Freeman, Wyn Lydecker, Ray Hodil or Sue Trager.

What is the Challenge Campaign?

A group of anonymous donors in our church will match dollar-for-dollar all new pledges, or pledge increases vs. 2011, which are made before the end of December – up to a total match of
$50,000.

Double the power of your pledge. Show your commitment to the life, mission and ministry of our church. Pledge NOW. Pledge MORE.

Why Should I give?

“Your actions with your money reflect your values…
What are your priorities?” – Dr. Don

Your pledge will make a difference. Your church has been running a deficit for the past three years. The deficit in 2011 is $70,000. This means that by the end of the year, we will have to dip into our church savings account just to make the payroll and cover other expenses like heat, light and even coffee at the 11^th hour. If that isn’t enough reason to give, here are ten more:

Ten Reasons To Give To Your Church in 2012

1.      To be generous.

2.      To demonstrate your gratitude to God for all your blessings.

3.      To give back to your church because it makes a difference in your life.

4.      To confirm that you share your church’s core values of being open, welcoming, faithful, thoughtful and giving.

5.      To share with others less fortunate.

6.      To support your children’s Church School, Youth Group, Confirmation Class and Nursery.

7.      To show your love of our music program.

8.      To care for our historic buildings and grounds.

9.      To help eliminate our budget deficit before Rev. Dale Rosenberger arrives.

10. To enable our church leaders to plan church programs and build for the future.

Where does the money go?

·         When you give to our church, you make a difference in our local community and the world. We give 10% of your paid pledge to local worthy causes and to our Church’s Wider Mission. In 2011, that will total about $45,000. You can help us give away even more to help the needy.

·         Our wonderful Church School costs $28,000 annually to run. With 118 children enrolled and an average of 50 kids showing up on Sundays for classes, the cost averages $240 per enrolled child or $560 per active student. If you have kids in Church School or Confirmation, or even if you don’t, please support our Church School .

·         Our vibrant Youth Ministry program costs $19,000 annually. With 35 teenagers participating in the youth groups, that’s an average expense of $540 per youth. If you have teens involved, or even if you don’t, please support our fabulous Youth program.

·         Ministry and Pastoral Care cost $145,800 per year. And that’s the cost with only one Senior Minister. Demonstrate your excitement, love and support of our church’s future ministry.

·         Maintaining our historic buildings and grounds, plus lighting, heating and cooling them cost $195,000 in 2011. Help care for this old church in 2012. Step Up.

·         In 2011 our church spent $20,000 to replace part of the Nursery School roof in 2011. We also plowed money into a new tool shed, parsonage and garage repairs, setting up the Youth Room and side yard for the new Twos Program, and other capital projects. We were able to do this only because of the generosity of a few individuals. We are counting on more of you to step up and give generously to life of our church.

·         The fabulous music which brings us so much joy and inspiration each Sunday and on holidays costs us $61,300 per year. Help us maintain the high quality of our music program.

What are we doing in terms of Outreach?

Your Pledge Makes a Difference to Local Charities

Did you know that we give10% of your paid pledge to local worthy causes and to our Church’s Wider Mission? In 2011, that will total about $45,000. We augment that gift with proceeds from the Antiques Show, income from our Mission Endowment Fund and other collections throughout the year, totaling an additional $55,000. In all, we will collect and give away close to $100,000 in 2011.

And that’s just in cash. We collectively donate another $40,000+ of in-kind donations, including food, clothing, household items, and importantly, a home to A Better Chance in Darien . We only charge $1.00 in annual rent for ABC House.

Our Board of Christian Outreach carefully vets each charity and decides how much they should receive. As you read over this list, consider the words of LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman: “I thought that if I only had $75,000, would I rather invest in a luxury car or make a play in changing the world?”

You can help change the world for the better with your pledge to our church. The charities include:

·         ABC House,

·         Aging In Place,

·         Center for Hope,

·         Child Guidance,

·         Domestic Violence Center ,

·         Elderhouse,

·         Feed My Starving Children,

·         George Washington Carver Center ,

·         Liberation Programs Inc (LMG),

·         New Covenant House,

·         Norwalk Emergency Shelter,

·         Person-to-Person,

·         Pilgrim Towers ,

·         Sexual Assault Crisis and Education,

·         Shelter for the Homeless,

·         St. Luke's Lifeworks,

·         STAR,

·         YWCA New Directions Program

How much should I give?

The decision to share your hard-earned money is a very personal one. Each of us is faced with different financial demands and earning potential.

Many church members set a goal of giving a percentage of their income, such as a true tithe, to charity and make the church their number one beneficiary. They make charitable donations part of their annual budgets. Others, who are not in a position to share so much, begin with smaller amounts and build up their giving over the years.

The Bible is filled with beloved characters offering gold, lambs, oil, grain, love, devotion and whole lives to God. As you wonder what the right amount is for you, please think about the words of Dr. Don: “Your actions with your money reflect your values…What are your priorities?”

And consider the following:

·         Our church depends almost entirely on your generosity. Virtually all of our revenue comes from your pledges and plate donations.

·         The average pledge this past year was $3,000, among those who did pledge. Can you beat the average of only $60 per week?

·         What blessings has God bestowed upon you? What amount is right to give back to do God’s work through our church?

·         Consider joining many of us who make the church our priority for giving. We are not alone: most Americans who make charitable donations give close to 74% of their gifts to their churches or other religious institutions.

·         Your pledge really will make a difference. In 2011 half of our active families did not pledge.

·         If every active member pledged, we would only need $35 per week from each of you to eliminate our current and projected $70,000 annual deficit. (You can make this happen!)

·         Think about how church pledging can fit into your weekly, monthly or annual budget.

·         How much do pay each month in car payments? For sports camps and team participation for your kids? Vacations? The Town of Darien for property taxes? Club fees? Entertainment? Attending your alma mater’s football games? Weekend skiing? Tutoring? Treats? Bottled water and other beverages?

·         Where does the church fit in this scheme? Can your pledge equal your sports or car payments?

·         What is church worth to you, your family and our community?

·         Do you get spiritual nourishment, guidance and inspiration from Sunday services?

·         Do you send your children to church school or teens in the Youth Group? You could cover that cost to the church ($540 per actively attending child) by donating at least that much per kid.

·         Do you want to support those less fortunate? We donate 10% of pledges to excellent local charities.

As you prayerfully consider your pledge, think about these Bible verses and pray this prayer:

"Give and it will be given you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap, for the measure you give will be the measure you get back." Luke 6:38

"From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded." - Luke 12:48

Dear God, when I'm asked to give, help me give the very best of all that I've received. Amen.

What do people usually pledge?

Last year half the congregation did not pledge. And of those who did pledge, 43% pledged less than $1,000. That is why we are running a $70,000 deficit and dipping into church savings.

On the other hand, of those who did pledge in 2011, the average pledge was $3,000. That shows commitment.

Does anyone really tithe nowadays?

Yes. Several members of our congregation do. Tithing can become easy once you have budgeted for it.

What about confidentiality?

The nature and amount of your pledge are not shared with the membership at large. Church policy is that only the Treasurer has this information.

And of course, all gifts to the church are tax deductible.

Can I give appreciated securities?

Yes! It’s easy and wise to donate securities with long-term gains. The Church sells the appreciated securities and gets the proceeds. You do not pay capital gains tax on the appreciation (as long as the securities have been held for at least one year), and you can take a charitable deduction for the full amount you contributed. Please ask Karen Hansen, our church Treasurer, for the simple instructions for donating securities.

How do you arrive at the church budget?

The Board of Stewards asks the Church boards to review their budgets from the past year to see how they can save money, what they hope to achieve and how much funding they need for their programs in the coming year. The Board of Stewards reviews the proposed budgets and sets a pledge goal to cover our proposed operating costs. For the past three years, we have not been able to cover our operating costs.

The Board of Stewards has carefully studied ways in which we could cut the budget. It is important to understand that recent projects such as replacing the tool shed, repairing the parsonage garage, and replacing part of the Nursery School roof have all been covered by special funds given to the church by generous individuals and by careful negotiating in the past with CL&P. Each of us will continue to benefit from these improvements in years to come. But none were paid for out of the annual Church operating budget, which is funded primarily through your pledges. There are no easy-to-eliminate earmarks in the budget.

While we do not yet have the final numbers for 2011, the Board of Stewards is working overtime to craft a budget based on our Pledge target of $550,000. We encourage all members to become involved in achieving the overall goal of 100% pledge commitment to our church.

The Stewards and Council will tally the results of the pledge campaign, and, if necessary, revise the budget accordingly. If the pledge goal has not been met, they ask the boards to make cuts in their plans. While this process is supposed to ensure that the church has a balanced budget, we have run deficits for the past three years. The final budget is submitted to the entire congregation for approval at the Annual Meeting in February. If you have any specific questions regarding the Budget process or the estimated 2012 operating budget, please contact Bob Sinche (Chairman of the Board of Stewards).

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