It’s time to submit your 2015 Giving Estimate

Parish Administrator News , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Our three-week period of giving discernment drew to a close on St. Nicholas Sunday, December 7, 2014.

It is now time to submit your 2015 Giving Estimate, so that your Vestry can finalize a budget for 2015.

If you still need to think it through, below you find a simple, 7-step outline which is intended to assist you in approaching your decision to give at both a deeply spiritual and deeply practical act of discernment.  Where necessary, we have included clickable links to help you find the information you need. And remember:

The important question in this discernment is not,
“How much should I give?”
But rather,
“Where is my heart and where is God calling my heart to be?”
So if you have any questions, please call myself, Shivaun, or any member of the Vestry.In Christ’s love,
The Rev. Ken Howard, Rector

 

2015 GIVING DISCERNMENT AND DECISION

A QUESTION OF INTEGRITY

With his oft-repeated statement, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,” Jesus was not stating a rule, but an important, inner spiritual reality:  that we live with greatest integrity when our outward actions reflect our inward values, especially when our financial actions reflect our hearts deepest yearnings. As you consider your Giving Estimate for 2015, follow these seven simple steps to arrive at a decision that bests matches your outer giving to your heart’s priorities:

  1. Pray. This is the most important step. Repeat it as often as necessary.
  2. Consider what you have learned about “God on the Move” at St. Nick’s and the World.
    1. Look over the observations you and others have posted about #GodontheMove.
    2. Offer thanks to God.
  3. Learn about your financial priorities.
    1. Examine your income and expenses. Print them out by category for the last 12 months.
      • Think about them in terms of fixed and flexible.
      • What percentage of your income is charitable giving?
    2. Reflect and pray. Compare yourcharitablegiving tothe whole of your flexible expenses.
      • What does this tell you about your de facto spending priorities?
  4. Learn about the ministry priorities of the parish.
    1. Examine our mission and ministries, and our income requirements.
      • Consider that every dollar spent reflects an opportunity to serve
      • Review budgeted amounts allocated for various ministries.
      • To go deeper, review the 2 minute ministry reports from our Annual Meeting.
      • Examine our income requirements both overall and by our per-giver scenarios.
    2. Reflect and pray. Think and pray about the priorities and needs these represent.
  5. Reflect on your current level of giving to St. Nicholas Church.
    1. Examine the current amount you give to St. Nick’s.
      • Write down the total you will give St. Nick’s by the end of the current year (If unsure, check your most Giving Statement or contact the Treasurer).
    2. Calculate your giving percentage for St. Nick’s.
    3. Add 1% and Recalculate.Oradjustdownwardifyourcircumstancesrequire.
      • Write down this amount and compare it to the previous amount.
  6. Discern. Prayerfully ask yourself how you feel about this number in proportion…
    1. to the importance of God in your life and your gratitude for all God has given you?
    2. to the importance of your church community in your life?
    3. to the other ways you spend money?
  7. Decide. Continue to offer your decision-making process up to God, then ask yourself:
    1. Do I feel at peace with the relationship between what I give and what I value?
    2. If you don’t feel at peace, repeat steps 4 through 6 until you do.
    3. If you do feel at peace, complete and submit your 2015 Giving Estimate by Dec. 7.
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