|
Whenever pledge season comes around, I think of my father. He was a man of strong principles - honest, just and kind. A good role model for my brother and me. My parents grew up during the Great Depression. They came from working class families and money was hard to come by. My mother was second generation American and there were lots of extended family to help when needed. My father came from a more humble environment. He was raised in a Brooklyn tenement along with his 3 siblings. Being that he and his brother and sisters were first generation Americans, there was no extended family for them to rely on when things got tough. I bring up this background because this my parents had a depression mentality and it rubbed off on me.
After I was born, my parents saved enough money so we could move out of our Brooklyn apartment to live in our own home in the suburbs as a middle class family. My brother and I had all we needed, yet we were by no means entitled. No fancy vacations, Christmas and birthday presents within reason. We were active members of our church. My father was elected to the church counsel which is the Lutheran equivalent our vestry. One evening at dinner he talked about the stewardship campaign that the counsel was ready to kick off. I asked, "What's stewardship?" and I got my first lesson on that topic. He said that every year the church has a stewardship drive so the counsel could develop church's operating budget for the coming year. He went on to say that funds were designated to pay church staff salaries, including the pastor's, costs to maintain our sanctuary and church buildings, and a fund designated to help those in need outside of our church community. Pledging was important because it provided the council a more accurate idea of how much money would be coming to meet our expenses and help others. I listened but I don't think it really sunk in at that moment. I was just a 15 year old girl with other things on my mind like I probably was not going to pass geometry, will I go to college?, will I be asked to the prom? I just want to blend in with the rest of the herd. Well, I did fail geometry yet when I retook it in my junior year, I got 98 on the NYS Board of regents exam. In retrospect I think failing was one of the best things that happened to me because it gave the ability to persevere and the gift of empathy. Yes,I did go to college, but no I wasn't invited to the prom. When I became a full fledged adult, I joined a church. I must have had Dad's explanation on stewardship tucked way in the back of my brain and I was faithful to pledge some time, and some money ever since. Immanuel is important to me. Our church community was very supportive when I was having some health issues. I'm doing fine now. I look forward to worshiping God within these walls. I am grateful that I am able to donate some of my time and pledge my share to support our church and all the wonderful support it gives to our community outside these walls. There's a theme song that goes through my mind during these tough times. It's a jungle out there disorder and confusion everywhere no one seems to care but I do and you do. We are all looking forward to a better 2022. Remember that "Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus."
0 Comments
Presented on November 21, 2021 Good morning, I’m Bonnie Swan, a member of the 2021 Stewardship Committee and the 3rd speaker in our Immanuel Stewardship Drive. We’ve heard from Elaine Simpson, who described her experience of stewardship, and Tom Fairchild, who reminded us of the importance of gratitude and giving out of our own abundance. Because I’m the third speaker, I will echo some of the themes other have mentioned. However, my job is to talk about money. As Tom said, Jesus talks a lot about money, and this is the time of year when we talk about money. – even if we think about it year-round. We said in our letter to the parish that we want to increase pledges AND participation in giving in order to move closer to our goal of relying less on our investment savings. We need to keep the lights on, the bulletins printed, and the building cared for, especially this beautiful, sacred space. That takes money. We also want to use the money that we have to support and expand God’s kingdom on earth through worship, Christian formation, and outreach, to name a few. In order for that to happen, we need everyone to be part of our giving community.
But it’s not just about money, and what money can do. Giving doesn’t come from your bank account – it comes from your heart. And we believe that the act of giving can be transformational for the giver over time. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” So let’s consider the benefits and outcome of giving. I’d like to share something that a friend of ours and a former Immanuel parishioner (and contributor), Simon Jeynes, has written about Christian philanthropy. Simon, a very thoughtful, deeply spiritual Christian, is the founder and Executive Director of Christian School Management, a consulting firm that works with small Christian schools to improve their operations, management, and viability. He has created a framework for his consultants to use in their work. The five principles of Christian Philanthropy are part of the framework, and I think these principles speak clearly to our situation. They are:
Thank you for being a member of the living body of Christ at Immanuel. Please prayerfully consider how you will give of your treasure to our church community. Our ingathering of pledges will take place on Sunday, December 5. Together, we can show that God’s great love is at work in our world. Presented on November 14, 2021
Good morning. My name is Tom Fairchild. Years ago, I was baptized and confirmed in the Episcopal Church. Months ago, I moved from St. Thomas’s Parish in Newark to Immanuel Highlands [and I usually go to the 8:00 service]. Days ago, I was the name at the bottom of the stewardship letter that you didn’t recognize. We heard Elaine Simpson’s lovely thoughts about stewardship last Sunday and next Sunday we’ll hear from Bonnie Swan. Today I’d like to share some thoughts, as a cradle Episcopalian, about the journey of stewardship and the joy it gives those who contribute to the church. We heard that Elaine’s stewardship journey started when she was about 15 and asked her father about it. Stewardship is a journey of growth. From the commanding heights of our adult maturity, we’re amused by the main vocabulary of two-year olds: “mine” and “no.” We work hard to teach kids to think about others. But here’s a test: you’re traveling down the freeway when suddenly lots of brake lights appear. You slow down, get crowded, stop and start, and hardly move. And what do we say? “Oh man, how long is this going to take?” But what should we say? We should say, “If this is an accident, I hope everyone is ok.” Our first thoughts are about our misfortune, not the much greater misfortune of those in the accident. The ideas of sharing and thinking about others don’t always come to us easily or automatically. Stewardship is a journey that tests us over and over. And God doesn’t make it easy. He gives us our whole income and asks that we give some back. Think how easy it would be if he gave us only 90% of our income and kept the rest. Raise your hand if you think you’re wealthy. Ooh, that’s uncomfortable, isn’t it? Let’s try this. [Show of hands.] Who here has ever given money to this church? Who here has ever given money to a school? To family or friends? Look at all the hands. Isn’t that wonderful? Isn’t that marvelous? We have all given money away and survived it financially. Better yet, we not only survived it, we felt the joy of giving. We learned that the measure of love is the willingness to give. We learned that we are all so fortunate that we can afford to give some of our wealth or income to others. Think of that: much of the world is worried about its next meal and we can give money away. You’re wealthy if you can afford to give away some of your money. The journey of stewardship involves the transformation from “mine” and “no” to the celebration of giving; the joy of offering. It is a journey of spiritual growth and it involves a central part of our lives: money. But money is something we often get wrong in the Episcopal Church. We just don’t like to talk about money. It’s simply not done. Which is weird, because Jesus talked about money a lot. Another thing we get wrong is that we wait until death – ashes to ashes, dust to dust – to point out that we come into this world with nothing and that we leave it with nothing. During our short time here, we are simply stewards of the gifts given to us during life. And our lives are full of God-given gifts. All the important things in life are gifts, but we have to work to see them. In the Rite One prayers of the people, we even ask for help: “Open, O Lord, the eyes of all people to behold thy gracious hand in all thy works, that rejoicing in thy whole creation we may honor thee with their substance and be faithful stewards of thy bounty.” The journey of stewardship involves the painful ability of letting go. We don’t like to let go; of our children, of our youth, of our money, of our lives even. And letting go is backwards, isn’t it. It’s the reverse of all that we learn and it’s hard. It takes a certain confidence, a certain courage. But we have to let go to find the joy of giving. Think of a little kid who is giving her mom a gift that she’s made in school. She just can’t contain her excitement and her joy is incandescent! You can know what’s important to a person by looking at his or her calendar and checkbook. Forget what people say – see where they spend their time and money. Then you’ll know where their hearts are. Is Immanuel on your calendar and in your checkbook? We learned from the forced separation of the pandemic that “Nothing will separate us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus.” Let’s also learn how fortunate we are. Let’s reclaim the childhood joy of giving by giving away resources that aren’t ours in any meaningful, spiritual, or eternal way. Let’s stop hiding from discussions about money. Let’s celebrate that we are so wealthy that we can give away some of our money and not risk our financial health. Let’s remember that “All things come of thee, O Lord, and of thine own have we given thee.” Amen This is the third of three articles about how you can contribute financially to Immanuel Highlands. This article covers qualified charitable distributions from IRA accounts. The other articles discussed cash gifts and gifts of appreciated securities.
A qualified charitable distribution (QCD) is a distribution of funds directly from your IRA to Immanuel church. You are eligible for QCD’s once you turn 70½ even if you are not subject to required minimum distributions (RMD’s) until age 72. In most cases, QCD’s count toward RMD’s but do not represent taxable income. Because they are not taxable income, QCD’s cannot be deducted as charitable contributions. But avoiding income can be superior to deducting contributions because the taxable portion of Social Security benefits and surcharges for Medicare Parts B and D depend on your gross income. Avoiding taxable income in the first place can be better than deducting it later. The amount of a QCD is not related to your RMD; you may donate any amount via QCD’s up to $100,000 annually (for each spouse if you file a joint income tax return). Amounts that exceed your RMD do not count toward future RMD’s. Funds distributed directly to you, the IRA owner, and which you then give to charity do not qualify as a QCD, so consult your IRA custodian to initiate a QCD. Qualified charitable distributions can only be made from IRA accounts, not from other retirement accounts such as 401(k) or 403(b) plans. Please note that Immanuel Highlands does not render legal or tax advice. For advice and assistance in specific cases, you should obtain the services of an accountant, attorney, or other professional advisor. Giving to Immanuel, Part 2: Appreciated Securities
This is one of three articles about how you can contribute financially to Immanuel Highlands. This article covers gifts of appreciated securities. The other articles discuss cash gifts and contributions directly from an IRA. Instead of selling securities like stocks, bonds, and mutual funds and donating the after-tax proceeds to Immanuel, consider donating these assets directly to the church. The tax savings from gifts of appreciated property are significant when compared to cash gifts of the same value. If you give the church an appreciated asset that you’ve owned for more than one year, it can subsequently be sold by the church and you can avoid capital gains taxes on the appreciation. Because the church does not pay capital gains taxes, the appreciation won’t be taxed when the church sells the asset. It is important to transfer the appreciated property to the church before selling it to avoid the capital gains tax. If the value of the asset has declined during your ownership, you can sell the asset first and give the proceeds to the church. By doing so, you might be able to realize a capital loss and potential tax deduction. In addition, you are usually allowed an income tax charitable deduction for the fair market value of the donated asset at the time of the gift. Charitable contributions can reduce your tax bill only if you itemize your deductions. Those who take the standard deduction cannot deduct their charitable contributions, but legislation enacted in late 2020 extends through 2021 some pandemic-related tax benefits associated with charitable donations, making 2021 an advantageous year for contributions. Whether as a gift or to meet a pledge commitment, it is easy to transfer securities held at a financial institution to Immanuel. To complete the transfer, provide your instructions and this information to the institution that holds the securities: Receiving firm: Manufacturers & Traders Trust Company Receiving firm DTC number: 0990 Account name: Immanuel Church Highlands Account number: 131267-000 Please note that Immanuel Highlands does not render legal or tax advice. For advice and assistance in specific cases, you should obtain the services of an accountant, attorney, or other professional advisor. Cash - currency, checks, or electronic giving - is one of the easiest and most familiar ways to give to Immanuel. You can place your offering in the plates near the doors to the sanctuary; mail checks to the church; or donate via a few clicks on our parish website, immanuelhighlands.church. You also can establish scheduled donations from a credit card, debit card, or bank account.
Contributions made through the website incur transaction fees that reduce the amount received by the church. The fees for credit and debit card transactions represent about 3% of the gift amount and fees for automatic deductions from a bank account are about 1%. You can maximize the value of your contribution by increasing the donation to offset the associated fee, but the parish gratefully recognizes the generosity behind every gift. Charitable contributions can only reduce your tax bill if you itemize your deductions. Those who take the standard deduction cannot deduct their charitable contributions, but legislation enacted in late 2020 extends through 2021 some pandemic-related tax benefits associated with charitable donations, making 2021 an advantageous year for contributions. Please note that Immanuel Highlands does not render legal or tax advice. For advice and assistance in specific cases, you should obtain the services of an accountant, attorney, or other professional advisor. |
Stewardship CommitteeBlog posts about how you can contribute financially to Immanuel Highlands. ArchivesCategories |
RSS Feed
|
FIND US!
2400 W. 17th Street
Wilmington, DE 19806 
|
|
COPYRIGHT 2024 IMMANUEL HIGHLANDS SITE BY BLUE ROOM