Happy and Blessed New Year Everyone,

I hope and pray you have all managed over the holiday season to find plenty of time to give thanks and praise as well as find some down time for prayer, scriptures, rest and reflection. At the December Standing Meeting, I was asked to write a piece for the Steeple to explain a bit about some of the different funds we have at the church.

Let us begin with the General Fund. We start here as this is the most common fund of the church. This fund pays all the bills, the staff, and all the miscellaneous things that come up throughout the year. This is where each committee has a budget approved to work with each year. This budget is specifically for the church and is financially supported by your pledges and financial gifts throughout the year. We, the church members, approve this budget at our Annual Meeting. If you are not yet a member and would like to be please speak to Pastor Cheryl.

Unfortunately, it seems that this year, our pledges have dropped as many have not returned their pledge cards. If you have been prayerfully considering what you can give, please submit your pledge amount to the

church. We need to establish a budget, and it is hard to do without knowing what we have. Thank you.

Let us move on to the Benevolent Fund. The term Benevolent itself has maybe gone out of style. What a shame. It means compassionate, altruistic, kind, and generous. Years back the church had a system in

which the General Fund and Benevolent Funds were linked. At one point, the General Fund would give 15% of all the funds collected for the General Fund to the Benevolent Fund each year. Those funds would then be

distributed by the Social Action Committee. The Committee prayerfully comes together with suggestions from the church and some research to give these funds away. The goal was 1/3rd local, 1/3rd national, and the final 1/3rd would be global ministry work.

Over the years this has changed as the budget and pledging have changed. Currently the Benevolent Fund is still available but is now funded through each giver’s personal choice to fund this ministry. This is one of the reasons pledging is so important. It helps us better understand what we may be able to do for God’s people in the coming year. Social Outreach continues to manage the funds and meets either late December or early

January to distribute the funds received over the past year. Usually, we try to help the hungry, homeless, abused, and organizations that serve these communities. If you know of a good ministry that you think should be considered, please let the committee know of it. If you would like to serve on the Social Action Committee, please sign up in the Fellowship Hall. The Nominations List is on the middle bulletin board.

Another fund that supports local outreach is the Discretionary Fund. This fund is held by the pastor. The Deacons are also participants with this fund. The only way this fund receives any money is through your giving. The Discretionary Fund helps when people in the church or in the local community are in need, usually it is an unexpected financial strain. Often it helps people with heat, car issues, medications, and food. If you are in need or know someone who is, please speak to Pastor Cheryl. If you can assist to support with this fund, please note that on your financial gift, so it will go to the appropriate place.

The Memorial Fund is not to be confused with the Memorial Tree which stands in the hallway to the Sanctuary. Although they do have some things in common. The Memorial Fund is made from gifts received to the church in memorial of one who has died. These funds go to a different account that only the interest is used. So, in fact, funds given to the Memorial Fund give year after year after year. The Memorial Tree represents those who have received over $500 in financial gifts to the Memorial Fund. Often the interest we receive is used to make up shortages to the General Fund. Wouldn’t it be great if we could use these funds in a different way? Or even get to the point we could reinvest them for the future?

Please note that there is also a Memorial Garden which is behind the church. The Memorial Garden is grave cremation sites only. There is also the Purinton Cemetery which you will find some very old headstones in the

very back corner of the church grounds. The gardens are always in need of care especially through the spring to fall. Maybe you could help?

The Community Outreach Program formerly known as the Parish Nurse Fund is now linked with Social Action forming Social Action & Outreach. It is a little different from Benevolent as the funds that support the Community Outreach Program traditionally come from the Hathaway Trust. The Hathaway Trust is a Somerset Trust that is a ministry of the Congregational Christian Church. Years ago, the Hathaway sisters, with assistance of Reverend Emery, created the Hathaway Trust. Each March the notice comes out for grant requests in the local paper. All requests must be complete and submitted by the end of April via the address given in the paper. The Hathaway Trust Board is made of the Chair of the Selectmen of Somerset, the Pastor of this church, and currently the attorney who helped develop the Trust. We meet in June to make decision on grants. The funds are generally distributed from the end of August to early September. Do you have an idea for our church this year?

Finally, the Emery Scholarship. The scholarship only receives funds that are given directly to the fund. In the past we have been able to give out scholarships to our young people going off for further education. Over the

past few years, we have not had any requests for this fund. A review of the Scholarship fund is being considered to include classes and education seminars for church members to grow in their church interests and thus bring that training back into the Congregational Christian Church. A resource to be a wider resource. But this is only a conversation right now.

There are also some investments that are managed via our Trustees. If anything has been missed, please let me know. Over the course of the year, we have some specialty collections. Examples are One Great Hour of

Sharing, Neighbors in Need, and Mother’s Day blankets and Father’s Day tools. If you ever have any questions on the financials of the church, ask or attend a Standing Meeting. If ever you need assistance, please do not hesitate to ask. Finally, I will ask again that you please get your pledge cards in ASAP. If you need a pledge card, simply ask in the office. Our Annual Meeting is scheduled for February 22nd. We hope you will join us in serving the Lord, our God, together.

Peace and Blessing to You All,   Reverend Cheryl Rieder