GIVING TO PLYMOUTH CHURCH
THE PLYMOUTH ENDOWMENT FUND
GIVING THROUGH THE SUNDAY OFFERING
We at Plymouth believe giving to be an expression of our faith and one way we worship God. Sharing your gifts is an opportunity to join our efforts to have collective impact in serving you, our local community and the wider world.
Members and friends regularly give at Sunday Worship Services during the Offering time. Giving at this time may be by cash or check, and may be anonymous if desired.
STEWARDSHIP, ANNUAL PLEDGES AND STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY
“Pray for the hungry. Then, feed the hungry. That’s how prayer works.” – Pope Francis
In Matthew 23:23, Jesus says that money rightfully should be given to support God’s work through the institutions God has established. On Stewardship Sunday, usually the first or second Sunday of November, the Plymouth congregation pledges their specific amounts of financial support for the coming year. Before that Sunday, in order to assist the congregation in their pledging decisions, the Church Treasurer and the Board of Trustees provide a preliminary budget for the next calendar fiscal year, along with the approved budget for the current year to show proposed as well as necessary changes.
In the four weeks preceding Stewardship Sunday, four Lay Speakers present their own feelings about Plymouth and how they contribute to the church’s near and far futures. On Stewardship Sunday the Pastor then preaches on Stewardship before the congregants present their pledge cards at the Altar where the pledges are blessed with prayer.
(God) “has told you what He wants, and this is all it is: to be fair and just and merciful, and to walk humbly with your God.” – Micah 6:8 (The Living Bible – paraphrased)
Beyond the surface of this command, Plymouth recognizes, works and gives our offerings, which are our time, our talents, and our personal resources.
GIVING TO PLYMOUTH OUTSIDE SUNDAY SERVICES
Members and friends can support Plymouth whenever they wish and in a variety of ways:
1. Mail your check to the church office:
Plymouth Congregational Church
232 E. Onondaga Street
Syracuse, NY 13202
2. Set up bank bill-pay service. Check with your bank on how to do this.
3. By PayPal using the button below. While PayPal is a convenient service, it charges a fee of 2.2% plus 30 cents from each contribution. This fee expense is charged to Plymouth, not the donor.
THANK YOU for your continued and faithful support of Plymouth’s mission and ministries.
THE PLYMOUTH ENDOWMENT FUND
Est. 1995
ENHANCING PLYMOUTH’S MINISTRY
The Plymouth Congregational Church Endowment Fund was established in 1995 with $50,000 raised during the church’s 140th anniversary campaign. The fund has been substantially augmented since its inception with designated (donor-restricted) and non-designated (donor non-restricted) contributions from members, and a portion of the 150th anniversary campaign.
The purpose of Plymouth’s Endowment Fund is to provide a stable financial base from which is generated ongoing support for Plymouth’s facilities and ministries beyond what is received through annual giving and other periodic giving. The people of Plymouth are the church’s most important assets, and as such are the source, with the guiding grace of God, of Plymouth’s financial strength and stability.
Plymouth’s Endowment Fund serves as a perpetual vehicle to fulfill the dreams and visions of the congregation and its members both now and in the years to come.
HOW IT WORKS
Plymouth’s Endowment Fund is a restricted fund in which the principal is held and invested in perpetuity. Each year on December 31 the fund is revalued, and a portion (usually 4%-6%) of the fund’s value is distributed during the course of the following year to support Plymouth
Congregational Church’s ministries as well as its physical maintenance and repair.
PRIORITIES OF THE FUND
Under the direction of the Board of Trustees and the Endowment Committee, distributions from Plymouth’s Endowment Fund support the programs and ministries of the church, including:
- Encouraging church growth and vitality
- Enhancing Christian education, worship, and music
- Supporting local and global ministries
- Maintaining the church building and sanctuary
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT PLYMOUTH’S ENDOWMENT FUND
Plymouth members and friends may at any time make designated contributions to Plymouth’s Endowment Fund. Endowment gifts provide the donor with the satisfaction that her/his/their gift will keep on giving, providing a legacy of lasting support that will bless others for years to come through Plymouth’s ministries.
Gifts in memory of or in honor of loved ones can also be designated to the Endowment Fund and offer a meaningful way to express loving sentiments to others who have touched the donors’ lives.
There are also opportunities to establish permanent named (donor-restricted) funds within Plymouth’s Endowment Fund to support a specific program or the general ministries of the church. Subject to approval by the Board of Trustees, named funds may be established with a minimum gift of $10,000, and may be added to at any time by the donor or others. Members and friends who have made dedicated and/or planned giving decisions are encouraged to notify the Endowment Committee and Board of Trustees of these plans. This would in no way be a contract until legally established, but a way for these church officers just to be aware for the future.
HOW TO DONATE
Donations may be in the form of cash or check; securities, such as stocks, mutual funds, bonds, real estate; or other property. In addition, individuals with retirement accounts may be able to make gifts from their required minimum distributions tax-free.
GIVING THROUGH YOUR WILL
Members and friends are encouraged to remember Plymouth Church in their wills and estate plans. These special gifts are a meaningful way to extend your support of the church by endowing your bequest. A percentage of the investment earnings of your gift will go each year to the work of Plymouth Church for future generations, while also preserving the value of your original gift’s principal and its growth.
Bequests may be in the form of a cash gift, securities, a percentage of the residual estate, or in the form of real property. Bequests can also be readily directed to Plymouth from life insurance policies, IRAs, and other retirement funds by naming Plymouth as a beneficiary.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
About the Endowment Fund or bequest planning, please contact the pastor, or a member of the Endowment Committee.
Plymouth Congregational Church, UCC
232 East Onondaga Street
Syracuse, NY 13202
Phone: 315.474.4836
Email: office@plymouthsyr.org