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PLEASE TAKE THREE MINUTES to watch this word of thanks and appreciation from Rev. Liz Garrigan-Byerly, SNEUCC Executive Minister for Area Conference Ministry (Link: A...
Churches must make a case for why donors should give to them, which can be done by loudly and clearly proclaiming the positive impact they are having on people’s lives ...
Please take a few minutes to watch this most sincere “Thank You!” video from our SNEUCC Board President, Mr. Tracy Keene.
Clergy taxes are more complicated for several reasons. The UCC Pension Board announced last Fri. in a Feb. e-newsletter that its 2022 tax reporting resources are now ...
Are you among the 86 percent of Americans that believe that financial education classes ...
Thank you! Your generosity so far this year is deeply appreciated, is never ever taken for granted, and does not go unnoticed!
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“If you are seeking a single, comprehensive guide to church finance, look no further. This is it. Lovett H. Weems Jr. and Ann A. Michel have written a practical guide ...
Thank you all for your generous financial support! You contributed $3,484,442 to support the work of the SNEUCC and the national setting through Proportional Giving in ...
Dear Colleagues, A church leader recently asked me, “how do we create a budget given increasing inflation?” Many people wonder about the effect of inflation on church ...
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Dearest Cojourners, Words are delicious! I love how they taste when they fall out of my mouth and into the atmosphere. I enjoy playing with my words as creatively as kids...
I suspect many of us have heard some version of the old Cherokee legend known as "The Story of the Two Wolves." I recently heard it again, and it occurred to me that this...
Members and friends of our churches consider many factors when deciding about whether and how much to contribute to their church. One is often tax deductibility. (See ...
When I had you to myself, I didn't want you around. Those pretty faces always made you stand out in a crowd. But someone picked you from the bunch, one glance was all it ...
Congress extended and expanded the universal charitable tax deduction that became law as ...
Dear Colleagues, Henri Nouwen’s reflection on A Spirituality of Fundraising informs my work and teaching around generosity. When thinking of annual stewardship ...
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Just like prayer, service, and worship, generosity is a spiritual discipline. It is a practice that can be modeled and taught, it is a habit that, with intention, can be ...
Dear Colleagues, Many years ago, my church choir director, Joel Johnson, taught me about the danger of doing anything that was just SO-SO. No, it wasn’t about the ...
Would you like to find some lost treasure? Could your church use some unexpected money? Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island all have “Unclaimed Property” ...
What would you like your world to look like 5 years from now? How about 10 or 20 or 50 years from now?
Socially Responsible Investing and Spending What motivates you to make a charitable donation? Do you want to make a positive difference in the world? Perhaps you want to...
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Dear Friends and Colleagues, It is appropriate that I am writing this on my last day of work before a much anticipated and much needed weeklong vacation. Why is it much ...
Confrontational Generosity Dear Colleagues, At General Synod in July, a new initiative called "Join the Movement" was launched across all settings of the UCC. The Rev....
Giving USA, which issues the oldest and most comprehensive report on charitable giving in the U.S., recently released its report for last year. The report contains mixed ...
Philanthropic Autobiography Dear Friends, Have you ever stopped to think about what inspires you to be generous? Do you have a plan for how and where you donate your ...
In a compilation of stories from over 100 interviews with people who had been identified by their pastors as generous givers, Herb Mather in That’s What My Mother Taught ...
Does the following ring true in your experience? Is it generally the case at your church? Here is what we say through our stewardship practices: 10% belongs to God; the ...
Before serving in my present capacity, I served as an Associate Conference Minister for the New York Conference. During that time, I coordinated worship services for ...
I don’t know about you, but years from now when we are finally all vaccinated and the Covid-19 pandemic is a memory within our collective conscience, there are some ...
I want to publicly and enthusiastically thank the churches that have financially supported the mission and ministry of our Southern New England Conference (SNEUCC) and ...
Dear Friends and Colleagues, At this moment it is clear that there is a great amount of need throughout our country. As development professionals, we are ...
Information is available on how the CAA law relates to churches and religious groups.
Historically, a church’s budget should have served at least three purposes: 1) provide financial guidance for the upcoming year; 2) place a limit on spending; and 3) be a...
by Jonathan Guest and David Cleaver-Bartholomew For many churches these are challenging and stressful times. Church members are concerned about worship, programs, and ...
by Jonathan Guest and David Cleaver-Bartholomew In our previous article published on ...
In today’s unprecedented context, when churches cannot worship in person and there is great economic uncertainty and social upheaval, it is quite reasonable to ask: How ...
As part of the CARES Act that became law earlier this year, the government provided a new universal charitable tax deduction. The deduction allows taxpayers to deduct up ...
One aspect of stewardship that struck me afresh the other day is that biblically speaking, stewardship is not presented as optional for us. In Genesis 1.27-28 we are told...
Isaiah 43:19: Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. While all of ...
The story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10.25-37) is one that many of us have heard at least a dozen times. But I wonder how many have heard it through the lens of ...
Last weekend, I discovered two writings that intrigued and excited me. They did so because they reveal generosity as a point where our scientific and religious worlds ...
Dear Partners in Ministry, As you have probably heard, the federal government started distributing CARES Act stimulus checks of $1,200 per adult and $500 per dependent ...
I frequently hear people express their strong desire for us to transition out of this pandemic and return to basically what life was before it struck. They just want to ...
As the Coronavirus and its effects on people’s livelihoods has become more severe, I have been struggling with the question of how we can talk about giving to the One ...
"In my head, I know that churches are places where communities gather, and that many have a season of life and impact, and then reasons arise that means that the church ...
"The stewardship committee often is placed in the church trustee/finance budget constellation of people. It belongs in the deacon/faith formation constellation of ...
A congregation’s community project often starts with someone’s idea or dream, followed by a plan designed by a core team, and then, a group of volunteers willing to roll ...
When Jack picked up his car after repairs at the local dealership, he noticed instructions securely taped on the main desk where all customers could easily read it. "What...
Carbon dioxide emissions have been implicated as a key factor in rising global temperatures. Because all church buildings use energy, much of it derived from carbon-based...
Shock waves have reverberated across the land over the past two weeks as clergy and the religious organizations that employ them got word of a federal court ruling that ...
Those who think stewardship is about money have it wrong; stewardship is, primarily, about people. That’s just one of the many stewardship lessons I learned from a man ...
A recent ruling in Massachusetts may spark interest in the subject of property taxes and church real estate.
Some of you are going to be wondering “Didn’t I just get an appeal back in December?!”
Even though they are not members, Bill and Dorothy go to a church in their neighborhood once or twice per month. They are fond of the pastor and proud of the ...