Tithes, Offerings, Donations and our Budget

To date we have received 104 Estimates of Giving totaling $401,478. We are pleased to report that there are 12 new commitments, 66 increased commitments, 22 equal to last year commitments and 4 decreased commitments. If you have not yet turned in an Estimate of Giving Card please contact the Church office office(at)princetonumc.org.  On Sunday mornings, you can also ask an Usher for a card, complete it andplace it in the offering plate.

office(at)princetonumc.org

What if we viewed our financial contributions to the church not merely as a way to pay the bills, but as a way to help people grow spiritually and to extend the blessings of God by supporting their church’s mission and ministry with a percentage of their incomes?

PUMC’s Stewardship & Finance Committee and the Church Council have selected the New Consecration Sunday Stewardship Program as a way to teach the biblical and spiritual principles of generous giving and as a way to emphasize stewardship education throughout the year.

New this year, Consecration Sunday is based on the biblical philosophy of the need of the giver to give for his or her own spiritual development, rather than on the need of the church to receive. Instead of treating one another like members of a club who should pay dues, we chose to treat each other like followers of Jesus Christ who want to give unselfishly as an act of discipleship. New Consecration Sunday encourages people toward proportionate and systematic giving in response to the question, “What percentage of my income is God calling me to give?"

During the worship services on Consecration Sunday, October 18, we asked  our attendees and members to make their financial commitments to our church’s mission: “We are a diverse community joyfully responding to God’s love and growing as Disciples of Christ by nurturing, teaching, reaching and serving all people.” Each of us is touched in multiple ways by the living out of that mission in the ministries of the church. If you missed this event, it is not too late to turn in a pledge for 2010.  Just fill out the card and send it to the Church. If you need a pledge card, please contact the Church Office office(at)princetonumc.org.

As a way of supporting our mission and those ministries that are so meaningful to each of us, we provided an Estimate of Giving Card so that you can express your commitment on Consecration Sunday. In considering that commitment, please continue to listen for how God is calling you to give of you time, your talents, and your treasure. Every attendee and member who completed an Estimate of Giving Card did so voluntarily and joyfully by attending worship on Consecration Sunday. 

During the worship services on Consecration Sunday, our Pastors led a held period of instruction and inspiration, culminated by those present making their commitments as a confidential act of worship.

We also formed a team that encouraged participation in the Consecration Sunday events. This included several communications giving details about the New Consecration Sunday Stewardship Program and encouraged members to prayerfully prepare for their commitment of giving. Since we do not plan to make follow-up visits to ask people to complete their commitment cards, we will make every effort to inform, inspire, and gain the commitment of everyone to attend a worship service on Consecration Sunday and in the Sundays following.

Thank you to all those who turned in pledge cards for your enthusiastic participation in the Consecration Sunday events.

Matt M, Stewardship and Finance Committee Chair
Iona H, Church Council Chair

When we think of regular church giving, the Sunday offering plate is usually the first image that comes to mind. But have you ever asked yourself if there is a way to make your donations electronically? 

The answer is yes! In fact, PUMC‘s financial systems can now accommodate two ways of making electronic donations – what we might call ―Push and ―Pull. 

With the first option, you can ―Push money out of your account to the church by setting up a payment through your bank‘s bill pay service. Most banks offer such a service at no charge as part of their online banking services. With this approach, you can also set up an automatic payment to the church on a schedule that matches your personal cash flow pattern. 

With the second option -- and this is a new service at PUMC, you can ask the church to set up a transaction to ―Pull your donation from your bank account into the church‘s account. These transfers can also be scheduled in a pattern that works best for you. If you are interested in learning about this option, or are ready to set it up, please contact the church office (office(at)princetonumc.org). We are using a provider recommended by the financial group of the United Methodist Church and have already run a successful trial for several months. 

In addition, there are several ways that you can make lump sum donations, including donation of appreciated stock to the church, which usually provides some additional tax benefit. If you would like more information on this type of giving option, please contact office(at)princetonumc.org