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Laywoman Ida-Ann Clarke is making a big difference in legacy giving.
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Planned giving ministry makes a difference
by Jim Cullumber, vice president, Christian Church Foundation
A growing number of Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) congregations are envisioning a brighter future of ministry and witness thanks to a focused planned giving ministry developed by the Christian Church Foundation.
Foundation staff members work side-by-side with congregations to develop "planned giving mentors" who share with others the joy they've found in putting gift plans in place. For congregations that have participated, the change is dramatic with 30, 40 or more members creating gift plans that will provide a future stream of income for ministry and outreach.
One of the most successful has been Cherry Log Christian Church, where layperson Ida-Anne Clarke leads a team of devoted volunteers. She said the church developed "Legacy Partners" -- those who love Christ and choose, through end of life planned giving, to build a bridge between today and tomorrow for the congregation's ministries.
"The Christian Church Foundation was a valuable partner, walking with us each step of the way, providing important promotional materials and meeting one-on-one with people as needed to provide information so members could make the right tax-smart decisions for them - all at no cost to us," Clarke says. "When we began, just a very few individuals had gift plans in place; today, we have nearly 50 members who are Legacy Partners."
Randy Johnson, the Foundation vice president who worked with the congregation, said a key moment was when church leaders realized the importance of putting their own plans in place. That empowered those leaders to offer testimony about their love for the church, the reasons for their decisions to include the church in their personal inheritance planning - and to invite others to join them.
To learn more contact the Christian Church Foundation at (800) 668-8016 or identify and contact your zone vice president from our website.
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Negotiating salary
by Pension Fund staff
(The full article is in your Spring edition of The Bridge. Sign up for the Pension Fund e-mails.) Churches aren't human resource experts, and most minsters aren't finance and tax professionals. So, it can be challenging when it comes time for a pastor to negotiate the details of a call to ministry. Setting fair compensation provides benefits for both the church and minister. There are three main components to minister's compensation - cash compensation, benefits such as insurance, and job-related reimbursements.
Benefits and job-related expenses are outside of monthly compensation and the responsibility of the church. They should be set up in the church budget as separate line items, and the church must accept that changes in cost shouldn't automatically fall to the minister to make up out of cash compensation.
However, this doesn't mean there can't be negotiations about possibilities. Discussion of benefit and expense costs that escalate should happen at negotiations.
Before negotiations begin, a minister should know exactly what's required to adequately cover all financial obligations. This means doing a full budget to avoid any surprises once settled in a new position such as the payment of SECA taxes (Self-Employed Contributions Act), understanding housing allowances and what is exempt from income tax. (For a budget outline, as well as tax and housing information, reference our Ministers Compensation Planning Guide). Read full article
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Earth Sunday April 17 or 24
Care for God's Creatures
God told Job to go to animals for wisdom, "Ask the beasts, and let them teach you; and the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you" (12:7) and remonstrated Job with the details of how God created all that is (38-39). Jesus lifts up God's care for the birds of the air to demonstrate God's certain care for humans (Matthew 6:26-30). Perhaps humans were created last in Genesis and added last to the praise chorus in Psalm 148 to remind us, as Job was reminded, that we are not the center of the universe.
Creation Justice Ministries Earth Sunday 2016 Resource includes worship resources, Bible study material, and invitations to take action by creating habitats and getting loud on social media for animals.
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Events, resources & continuing education
- Buffalo Seminary class on congregational conflict, March 24, Bethany WV
- DYMN youth ministers' retreat, March 29-30, Athens, TX
- Center for Faith and Giving's Stepping into Stewardship, March 30-April 1, Orlando
- Disciples Men Sessions, July 8-10, Ft. Worth
- Hispanic Assembly, July14-16, 2016, Coral Gables, FL
- Association of Disciple Musicians 55th Anniversary Conference, July 17-22, 2016, Evansville, IN
- National Convocation Biennial Session, July 21-24, Overland Park, KS (Kansas City area - all Greater KC Disciples invited!)
- National Youth Event with United Church of Christ, July 26-30, Buena Vista, FL
- NAPAD Convocation, Aug. 3-6, Sunnyvale, CA
For more events, see the calendar hosted by Chalice Press. |
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Featured Links
Now is the time to order stewardship materials from the Center for Faith and Giving. Your Spring campaigns should be in the early planning stages before Easter. Fall campaigns can begin after Easter, with resources that now provide for a more protracted conversation about the work of generosity and the ministry and mission of the local congregation.
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Interfaith Alliance's
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General Ministries Several ministries offer e-letters. Use "subscribe" links to sign up. Racial/Ethnic Ministries Other resources |
DMin cohort begins in September
Lexington Theological Seminary offers a D. Min. in Leading Congregations in Adaptive Change. The next cohort will start in September, 2016 and applications are due by July 1. Candidates for the D. Min. will have an M. Div. from an ATS accredited school with a GPA of 3.0 or higher and three years of ministry experience after graduation. For more information, contact Erin Cash, director of admissions at ecash@lextheo.edu or (859) 280-1249.
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HELM Leadership Fellows applications available
Higher Education & Leadership Ministries is taking applications for the 16th class of HELM Leadership Fellows. The Leadership Fellows program is a unique opportunity for Disciples students to be in closer relationship with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), to network with each other, to encounter innovative and inspiring leaders, to prepare themselves for leadership in a rapidly and radically changing religious environment and to add additional value to their undergraduate educations. The postmark deadline for applications is April 15, 2016
This year the application is available electronically. Information about the program and the application process is available at www.helmdisciples.org/apply.
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Challenged by trying to explain Disciples Mission Fund?
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