STEWARDSHIP
Offering Options
If you want to make your offering
by online payments, ACH, Direct Debit, or automatic payments please
contact Cindy Wipperfurth at 635-7241 or via email at cindywipp@yahoo.com
our Financial Secretary to set up payments.
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Giving
Means Thinking Positively
“
Make
the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times.”
Ephesians
5:16 (The Message)
Tax time is upon us. Aside from the
Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, it can be one of the most stressful times
of the year for many people. For many it means paying at least a bit more
to pay that bill in full. Still others are excited to finish the task
because they’ve been planning and looking forward to the “gift” they’re
receiving with their refund.
The number one reason for marital
breakdown is financial conflict. Therefore, tax time is also the time to
take extra care in your relationships as you review receipts, checkbooks, and
1040 forms.
Even if you didn’t lose your job
in the recession, chances are you’re worried about the economy and how it may
affect you and those you love. What about your church? How are those
in your church weathering the financial storm of the last few years? Has
the recession provided new opportunities for spiritual growth and
ministry? Or, has it encouraged conflict and “blaming” to run rampant
in meetings and parking lot conversations?
Remember that when finances are
tight, tempers tend to be short. How can we be care-full in our
ministry? Let’s remember that the primary mission of the church is to
“make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
Strive to proclaim the good news we proclaim on Easter Sunday, “He is Risen!
Christ is risen indeed!”
Perhaps in these difficult times, we
might do as Paul instructed the Ephesians to “make the most of every chance we
get” to live the love that is ours through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
These are “desperate times,” so let’s outdo one another in love when we’re
tempted to give in to the “crabby bug.” Pastors and leaders can only
work with the resources at hand. Whether you still have a well-paying job,
you’re unemployed, retired, or you’ve settled for a lesser-paying job,
together let’s find a way to give our time, talent, and treasures to say “THANK
YOU” to God for the blessings we’ve received.
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Giving
Stock or Securities to the Church
"The
point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the
one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." (2
Corinthians 9:11 NRSV)
Our financial gifts to the church usually
involve cash or checks, but there is another way. We can fulfill our
financial commitments by giving stock or other securities. The general
tax rule is that you can claim a charitable income tax deduction equal to
the value of the stock on the day you make the gift. You don’t have
to report capital gain on your tax return and you can’t claim any capital
loss if the stock has declined in value from when you acquired it.
A gift of stock or other securities can help
us fulfill our financial commitment to the church and, at the same time,
take care of a liquidity or capital gains problem. Other times, it’s
a convenient way to dispose of a stock when you have no idea what the cost
basis is after the spin-offs, splits, and mergers. Anyone who ever
owned telephone company stock is probably familiar with this problem.
The United Methodist Foundation in Sun
Prairie handles stock gifts for the Lodi United Methodist Church. The
Foundation sells the stock it receives and transfers the cash to the Lodi
United Methodist Church. There is no broker fee or sales commission
– the full value is transferred to the church. It’s an easy
transaction. You just complete the Foundation’s stock transfer form and
work with your own broker to transfer the stock to the Foundation. The
form and instructions are available on the Foundation’s website ( http://www.wumf.org/assets/ProcessingStockGifts.pdf
) or in the church office. The form has instructions for transferring
stock held by you in certificate form, by a broker, or by the stock transfer
agent as a book entry. The Foundation will send you a charitable
receipt showing the date and value of the gift, and the financial secretary
will note that you made your gift through the Foundation.
There are a few exceptions to the general
income tax rules. If you make a gift of US Savings Bonds, you still
have to report the interest that has accrued on the bonds. For very
large gifts, there may be some deduction limitations based on your income,
so it’s always a good idea to discuss the gift with your tax advisor
first. To make a 2008 stock gift, be sure to allow enough time to
process the stock transfer.
If you’d like to talk to a church member
who has already make a stock gift through the Foundation, please ask Pastor
Scott or the financial secretary to put you in touch.
Wisconsin United Methodist
Foundation
750 Windsor Street Ste 305, P.O.
Box 620, Sun Prairie, WI 53590-0620
1-888-903-9863 or wumf@wumf.org
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Mickey’s
Story
My mother’s foster cousin died
recently and we attended her funeral at the Baptist Church in Wild Rose,
Wisconsin. When we arrived for her funeral service on a cold January
morning, we were amazed to see the parking lot full of cars. We knew
we were the only ones arriving from our side of the family. Once
inside we waited in line for over 30 minutes to connect with her son.
Who were all these people? Later we learned that many were relatives
on the other side of her family, and a good number were members of her
church and the community.
While she only had one son, we
learned that Mickey was known as “Mom,” “Ma,” “Grandma,” or “Grandma
Mickey” by most everyone in town. The pastor told a wonderful story
about taking the youth group Christmas caroling just a few weeks
prior. When they arrived at her house, all of the teenagers jostled
for position on the little porch of her trailer because they all wanted to
ring the bell and get a Grandma Mickey hug! We also learned about the
missionary student from China who called her his “summer mom,” because
he lived with Mickey and her son during his summer breaks from college.
Mickey was described by the
congregation gathered there as a compassionate, non-judgmental believer who
always had a smile for everyone. Her life had been tough from the
beginning. Yet instead of being bitter and angry, she chose to offer
God a giving heart that was humble and loving. She lived as a steward
of all the mysteries of God. She offered all of who she was, and all
of what she had, in gratitude for the love she received.
Sometimes we think stewardship is just about money.
Sometimes we think stewardship
is just about money. Mickey reminded me once again that it’s not
just about money.
Stewardship
is about how we live the Good News of the love of Jesus Christ every day.
-Rev. Jean Ehnert Nicholas
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Shop the "Family Christian Stores" in Madison?
We‘d like you to be aware of the stamps
(Ministry Builders) they give with purchases. Please save them for the
Education Committee. We can use them to purchase items for our Education
Programs and help cover our expenses. You can drop the stamps in the
collection plate any time. We‘d love it!
