A Finance Committee Communication
Alive Together in Christ: Loving, Growing, & Serving
September 5, 2019
Dear Friends in Christ,
As the fall begins, the Finance Committee is happy to report an overall healthy financial position for First United Methodist Church sixty days after the planting of The Porch. We are cautiously optimistic looking forward.
To be sure, we have seen the usual decrease in giving during the summer months, but we now anticipate that the monthly giving will improve significantly September through December. As long as it does, we will end 2019 in a good position. For this reason, I ask all our members to “catch up” in your annual giving now if you’ve slipped a little behind, and to be faithful financially through year-end. Let’s be prayerful about catching up, and even increasing, our contributions to First Methodist.
We plan “Catchup Sundays” on September 15th and 29th. Let’s make those Sundays really count! God has blessed each of us and we must remember Him in supporting First Methodist. We need everyone to participate and we appreciate all gifts, great and small.See, below this letter, the list of convenient methods available for making your contributions.
We have received the excellent news that the church roof does not need to be replaced (with its $1-1.5 million estimated replacement cost). Truly, praise is in order! The estimates for current roof repairs are now roughly 10-15% of that amount. However, we do face many other repair needs beyond the roof. Our Board of Trustees and Housing and Grounds Committee are compiling a list of those and getting repair estimates.
We are planning to conduct a capital campaign to address these repair needs in order to grow our ability to worship God, to grow our ability to welcome guests, and to grow our ability to serve the community. We are called to be a part of bringing these renovations forward – for us, for our children, and for our children’s children – for generations to come. The time has come. Let’s answer the call. The capital campaign will begin on Sunday, October 20 and end on Sunday, November 24 prior to Thanksgiving. Please pray about how you can help with a Gift of Gratitude, over and above your regular giving, during this exciting time period.
So for now, please concentrate on your annual support of our church and do all you can to ensure a strong finish for these last four months of 2019. With God’s help, we will begin 2020 alive together in Christ and in good financial position, loving, growing and serving!
Gratefully and In Christ,
Tom Gooding, Finance Committee Chair
GIVING TO Valdosta First United Methodist Church
Valdosta FUMC appreciates your financial support! With it, we can continue to expand our loving, growing and serving together in Christ. We offer many giving options to make it as easy and convenient for you as possible:
Pay by cash or check, payable to Valdosta FUMC. Just place in the offering plate during any service, drop by the church office, or mail to PO Box 1306, Valdosta, GA 31603-1306
Online Giving, One time or Recurring
Utilizing our online giving system with Planning Center, you may make your regular tithe and offering, create a recurring offering and/or view your current giving records. To access the online giving portal, go tohttps://www.valdostafirstumc.org/give.html and click on the ONLINE GIVING link.
Of course, you can use your own online banking system to set up a recurring offering for your automatic giving.
Text-To-Give:
First United Methodist Church has also set-up Text Giving through Planning Center. Simply text your intended dollar amount to 84321. The first time you text an amount, you will be prompted with a one-time registration screen. This will assign your mobile number to the church, and allow you to select the bank account from which your text donations are to be withdrawn. All subsequent donations will simply require texting the amount to be withdrawn for your giving. You will receive a text confirmation of your donation. Message and data rates may apply.
Or, if this is your preference, we also use VENMO
Download the Venmo payment application on your smartphone. Upon downloading the application, you will be required to create a Venmo account and link either a bank account or debit/credit card to your Venmo account. Once you are set up, click the icon in the upper right hand corner. Then, type in @VFUMC in the Recipient Field. Lastly, type in the gift amount, add any description or comment, and click pay.
Other Giving Options
To make gifts of appreciated stock or real property, please contact the church office at 229-242-4050 for instructions.
You may also want to consider supporting the church through other vehicles such as inclusion in your will or estate, through a Trust or Gift Annuity, or as a beneficiary of your Life Insurance. If so, consult your financial or legal advisor, or call the church office for assistance.
As the fall begins, the Finance Committee is happy to report an overall healthy financial position for First United Methodist Church sixty days after the planting of The Porch. We are cautiously optimistic looking forward.
To be sure, we have seen the usual decrease in giving during the summer months, but we now anticipate that the monthly giving will improve significantly September through December. As long as it does, we will end 2019 in a good position. For this reason, I ask all our members to “catch up” in your annual giving now if you’ve slipped a little behind, and to be faithful financially through year-end. Let’s be prayerful about catching up, and even increasing, our contributions to First Methodist.
We plan “Catchup Sundays” on September 15th and 29th. Let’s make those Sundays really count! God has blessed each of us and we must remember Him in supporting First Methodist. We need everyone to participate and we appreciate all gifts, great and small.See, below this letter, the list of convenient methods available for making your contributions.
We have received the excellent news that the church roof does not need to be replaced (with its $1-1.5 million estimated replacement cost). Truly, praise is in order! The estimates for current roof repairs are now roughly 10-15% of that amount. However, we do face many other repair needs beyond the roof. Our Board of Trustees and Housing and Grounds Committee are compiling a list of those and getting repair estimates.
We are planning to conduct a capital campaign to address these repair needs in order to grow our ability to worship God, to grow our ability to welcome guests, and to grow our ability to serve the community. We are called to be a part of bringing these renovations forward – for us, for our children, and for our children’s children – for generations to come. The time has come. Let’s answer the call. The capital campaign will begin on Sunday, October 20 and end on Sunday, November 24 prior to Thanksgiving. Please pray about how you can help with a Gift of Gratitude, over and above your regular giving, during this exciting time period.
So for now, please concentrate on your annual support of our church and do all you can to ensure a strong finish for these last four months of 2019. With God’s help, we will begin 2020 alive together in Christ and in good financial position, loving, growing and serving!
Gratefully and In Christ,
Tom Gooding, Finance Committee Chair
GIVING TO Valdosta First United Methodist Church
Valdosta FUMC appreciates your financial support! With it, we can continue to expand our loving, growing and serving together in Christ. We offer many giving options to make it as easy and convenient for you as possible:
Pay by cash or check, payable to Valdosta FUMC. Just place in the offering plate during any service, drop by the church office, or mail to PO Box 1306, Valdosta, GA 31603-1306
Online Giving, One time or Recurring
Utilizing our online giving system with Planning Center, you may make your regular tithe and offering, create a recurring offering and/or view your current giving records. To access the online giving portal, go tohttps://www.valdostafirstumc.org/give.html and click on the ONLINE GIVING link.
Of course, you can use your own online banking system to set up a recurring offering for your automatic giving.
Text-To-Give:
First United Methodist Church has also set-up Text Giving through Planning Center. Simply text your intended dollar amount to 84321. The first time you text an amount, you will be prompted with a one-time registration screen. This will assign your mobile number to the church, and allow you to select the bank account from which your text donations are to be withdrawn. All subsequent donations will simply require texting the amount to be withdrawn for your giving. You will receive a text confirmation of your donation. Message and data rates may apply.
Or, if this is your preference, we also use VENMO
Download the Venmo payment application on your smartphone. Upon downloading the application, you will be required to create a Venmo account and link either a bank account or debit/credit card to your Venmo account. Once you are set up, click the icon in the upper right hand corner. Then, type in @VFUMC in the Recipient Field. Lastly, type in the gift amount, add any description or comment, and click pay.
Other Giving Options
To make gifts of appreciated stock or real property, please contact the church office at 229-242-4050 for instructions.
You may also want to consider supporting the church through other vehicles such as inclusion in your will or estate, through a Trust or Gift Annuity, or as a beneficiary of your Life Insurance. If so, consult your financial or legal advisor, or call the church office for assistance.