Recently, one of our new church members asked about the different levels and ways of giving to Calvary. Thinking that there might be others with the same questions, here’s an overview:
Budget giving: as typical, these are the areas of general ministry including utilities, ministry line items, salaries, missions giving, Vacation Bible School, etc ... To meet the budget, people generally give based on a tithe. The combined amount of the general budget and the Land of Promise is slightly over one million dollars this year.
Land of Promise: For many years, the ongoing part of our larger budget that is directly tied to our mortgage payment (land and building) has been called the Land of Promise. Originally called the Nehemiah Fund, the capital program that led to the initial purchase was renamed when we bought the land and began building a facility. We encourage members to give above and beyond the tithe to fulfill this responsibility.
Children of Promise: Early in 2010, we began considering the need for expanding our building to accommodate growth in the children and youth areas. We determined to begin first with the greatest need, the children’s wing. The design calls for an end cap including a large assembly room, extra office and storage areas, and classrooms. We are raising money for this and will “build it when we get it.” We anticipate somewhere between $300,000 – $400,000 to add the extension and parking.
What about ways to give:
Obviously, you can drop a check in the offering basket on Sundays, and members often mail their checks to the church office, where the financial secretary posts them. But there are other ways …
Bill Pay is a feature that is included on most online banking systems. It’s connected to your online account management from your bank. It includes sending paper or electronic checks to companies or individuals. I use it all the time for bills, and I use it for my contributions. It will set up payments with a number of different schedules.
We do have the ability to draft accounts. Since we have that set up with the bank already, our financial secretary has the forms to use. Please contact our financial assistant and we will assist you in that process.
