AM I A STEWARD?

            As many (or some) of you may know, I am the Christian Stewardship Specialist at the Upper New York Conference of the United Methodist Church. What does that mean?

            I thought I’d start by defining what a steward is. Merriam Webster says that a steward is “one employed in a large household or estate to manage domestic concerns (such as the supervision of servants, collection of rents, and keeping of accounts); a shop steward; a fiscal agent; an employee on a ship, airplane, bus, or train who manages the provisioning of food and attends passengers; one appointed to supervise the provision and distribution of food and drink in an institution; one who actively directs affairs : manager.”

            To steward is “to act as a steward for: manage; or to perform the duties of a steward.”

            So I think what this means, in its simplest form, is that we are stewards of and for God. That means that because “God created” (Genesis 1:1), we are tasked with caring for and managing those items that are of God for God.

            So, taking those definitions and that understanding, what is a Christian Stewardship Specialist? I think that means that I am tasked with interpreting, teaching and learning about Christian stewardship, and guiding others in the Conference and in the connection in that understanding. I create and lead workshops, writing blogs and articles, and teach classes. I am working on a booklet on ministry shares and have created a curriculum for training stewardship coaches around the conference.

            This is work that I enjoy, and a calling that I must answer to and follow?

            So, are you a steward too?

 

 

 

Feel free to contact me at sranousacctg@twcny.rr.com or susanranous@unyumc.org with any thoughts or questions.

 

 

                                      IT’S A NEW YEAR!

           

            The last time I wrote, we were in December, celebrating Advent and looking forward to Christmas and I gave you a to-do list to consider as you neared the end of the year; things like housing resolutions, year-end giving, copyright licenses, cancellation plans, winter hazards and payroll classifications for employees.

            We are now fully into the new year. Resolutions are something a lot of us do at the beginning of the year. What are we going to commit to? Weight loss? Exercise?

            Did you consider what you might commit to in the new year? Here’s a thought? Maybe don’t call it a resolution. Many resolutions are forgotten early in the year. I don’t know if not calling something a resolution will make a difference, but what if we called it a covenant?

            What’s the difference between a resolution and a covenant?

                        Resolution: a firm decision to do or not to do something:

                        Covenant: promise by a covenant or a pledge

            Many of us in the United Methodist Church start the beginning of a new year with the Wesley Covenant Prayer:

            I am no longer my own, but thine.

            Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.

            Put me to doing, put me to suffering.       

            Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,

            exalted for thee or brought low for thee.

            Let me be full, let me be empty.

            Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

            I freely and heartily yield all things

            to thy pleasure and disposal.

            And now, O glorious and blessed God,

            Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

            thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.

            And the covenant which I have made on earth,

            let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.

 

            So what if we started the new year considering what we would like to covenant to? I’m thinking, instead of considering how to lose weight, how about we consider what God is asking of us and how we could answer that ask?

 

 

            As a big “list maker”, I took some time at the beginning of the year to write down “topics” that I wanted to covenant to learning more about. I bought (or located in my library) a book for every topic, and I’ve committed to learning more about the eight topics I wrote down. FYI: one of the topics was choosing a book for “fun”. I think God wants me to lighten up a little too!

 

            So what do you think? What are the topics that will help you hear God?

 

 

Feel free to contact me at sranousacctg@twcny.rr.com or susanranous@unyumc.org with any thoughts or questions.

 

                    WHAT ARE THINGS WE SHOULD BE DOING AS WE NEAR 

                                              THE END OF THE YEAR?

           

            We are nearing the end of the year, where we are celebrating Advent and looking forward to Christmas Eve services and the joy of spending time with family and friends on Christmas Day. I know for a lot of us in the church, this is a busy time of the year, and thinking about finances in detail is just one more thing that we don’t want to do.

            But there are some things that pastors and “finance people” in the church should be thinking about and talking about. I received an email from Church Law & Tax and they provided a “to-do list”. I want to share that list with you and some thoughts:

1.    Make sure your clergyperson(s)’ housing allowances were set at your Charge Conference and verify any “housing exclusion resolutions are completed and in place prior to the end of the year. Remember, clergypersons can only exclude income for housing for housing costs that occur after proper completed housing allowance/exclusion forms. Delaying any of this could affect how much the clergyperson can exclude from taxable income.

2.    Remind your folks about the rules around year-end giving. Gifts must be postmarked by December 31, 2025, or received on or before December 31, 2025 to be counted in 2025. Anything else cannot be include in a person’s giving statement or giving records for 2025, no matter their intent.

3.    Review your procedure for handling receipts for noncash donations. Non cash donations are not included on “normal” giving statements. They are recognized only in separate letters, stating the date of the gift and what was given. Your letter does not include the value. That is up to the giver to determine in preparing their taxes.

4.    Have your music people review what your church’s copyright licenses allow, to make sure you are only sharing music you have the rights to share.

5.    Have your trustees review plans for common winter hazards, making sure plans are in place to assure the safety of everyone.

6.    Also have trustees get ahead of a common winter issue: freezing pipes. There is little that is worse that a frozen water pipe: no water, no toilet; and broken pipes: water damage, large repair bills.

7.    Review your church’s cancellation plans. Who makes the decision? How is it communicated to folks? Do your cancellations “travel with” an outside cancellation policy?

8.    Revisit exempt and nonexempt classifications for employees. No matter how it’s “always been done”, there are rules to protect the church and protect the employees. Make sure people that should be paid hourly and paid overtime are properly being paid, and those being paid by salary are properly paid by salary.

9.    Doublecheck with your employees if their W-4s are up-to-date. Any W-4 you’ve previously received remains in effect until changed by the employee. Many employees don’t think about make changes when they have life or tax changes. A simply check-in can show you care and help your employees make good decisions.

 

 

Feel free to contact me at sranousacctg@twcny.rr.com or susanranous@unyumc.org with any thoughts or questions.

 

                                                       WHAT SHOULD I DO?

           

            I wanted to write about some resources that are the United Methodist Upper New York Conference’s website (unyumc.org). There are two additional videos under the Church Chat section of the conference website: one on Finance and one on stewardship. Each is about half an hour.

 

            I think, as we have just finished our church’s Charge Conference or just finishing it up, that there are new people joining your finance committee or there’s a new Finance chair, or a new Treasurer, bookkeeper or Financial Secretary, now is the time to become more informed.

            Some of this stuff can be difficult to understand, particularly for new people. I encourage a couple of things for your new folks (and even your current people):

1.    Print the pdf (or buy a booklet) of the Finance and Stewardship Guidelines. The information is informative and the new guidelines are out for the 2020/2024 Book of Discipline.

2.    Encourage your folks to watch the Finance and Stewardship Leadership Videos under the Church Chat section of the Conference website.

3.    There are also several very short (3 – 5 minute) videos on several topics, i.e. W-2s, 1099s, UMPIP withholding, etc.

If you have specific questions that aren’t answered in the videos, or the Guidelines, please feel free to contact me.

 

 

Feel free to contact me at sranousacctg@twcny.rr.com or susanranous@unyumc.org with any thoughts or questions.

 

                                HOW IS YOUR CHURCH’S GIVING?

            In my last blog, I talked about Fall Stewardship Season and discussion and prayer around stewardship, discipleship and generosity.

            I wanted to take another step, as you prepare for your fall stewardship, to look at actual giving in your church.

            I encourage you to take these conversations about generosity and prayer seriously as you plan your stewardship plans for this coming fall!

            Have the financial secretary “run” a report/spreadsheet showing the different people’s giving. You don’t need names for this, just the amount given by each “giving unit.” Then sort the list from small to large (or large to small). Are there a few big givers that cover a large percentage of your annual budget? Are most givers really small? Or is there a large spread over many givers?

            Depending on what you find can help you understand how people may view giving in your church.

            The other thing that can be helpful to your folks, no matter what level they are giving at, is a stair diagram. You’ve seen them. Each step on the stairs is a different level of giving. What amounts you assign to each step will depend on how people are actually giving at your church. You don’t want any step to be too small or too big. It needs to be helpful for people to view their own giving with what is needed to do God’s work at your church. It also helps people take a step or two up without feeling overwhelmed with that decision. You can do annual steps like he example below, or do monthly, or weekly numbers, whichever is most helpful.

            Try this and see where people are currently and where they might be able to grow into.

 

 

Feel free to contact me at sranousacctg@twcny.rr.com or susanranous@unyumc.org with any thoughts or questions.

 

                                                    STEWARDSHIP SEASON

            Well, it’s that time of year when (1) churches re-open after the summer (😊); and we ready ourselves for our fall stewardship campaigns.

            I know, I know, stewardship should be a year-round “thing”. However, even if your church is pretty good about discussing stewardship and discipleship year-round, you should still have a focus on the monetary part of stewardship in the fall.

            No matter how you approach stewardship, I strongly encourage you not to do what you’ve always done before. You know what I mean: write a letter, send out a pledge card and have the pastor preach a time or two.

            Talk about generosity and what that means, in terms of time, service, worship, and, yes, money. Spend some time looking at your congregation and at y9oru givers. Is your congregation full of givers, or are there just a few givers? Are your givers all in the lower end with just a few large givers? Do you have tithers? Have you discussed planned giving and have a plan in place?

            These are all important questions and could help you take a “good” pledge campaign and make it a “great” stewardship campaign. Grow stewards and disciples. It’s not about the budget; it’s about the people!

            I encourage you to take these conversations about generosity and prayer seriously as you plan your stewardship plans for this coming fall!

 

Feel free to contact me at sranousacctg@twcny.rr.com or susanranous@unyumc.org with any thoughts or questions.

 

                                 HAVING TROUBLE SLEEPING?

            Do you sometimes have trouble falling asleep, or staying asleep at night?

            Do you find that it’s more difficult when you’re facing a difficult decision? Do you

·         Count sheep

·         Pray

·         Pace

·         Cry

            Author Tom Melzoni in A Generous Life said his father would say “pray the night through until you find peace!”       

            I don’t know about you, but it’s very hard to find peace in the dark of night, even when praying. In times like this, you may be dealing with financial debt, buying a new home, changing jobs, or maybe even figuring out your own generosity.

 

            Author Melzoni said this in his devotion, which really resonated with me: “Prayer deepens our well of generosity. Giving comes from deep within us. Praying enables us to connect with God and listen for God’s will.”

            I think this sounds a lot different than how we normally handle stewardship, doesn’t it. Often we approach stewardship as a way to pay the church’s bills, but the prayer, the listening to God part of stewardship is a minimal part of our stewardship.

            I encourage you to take these conversations about generosity and prayer seriously as you plan your stewardship plans for this coming fall!

 

Feel free to contact me at sranousacctg@twcny.rr.com or susanranous@unyumc.org with any thoughts or questions.