Our property is owned by our congregation and the financial decisions affecting our life here are made by members of the congregation, so in that spirit, we strive to be open about our financial life.  Our members have been very generous over the years, not only in supporting the work of Memorial UCC, but is contributing to projects locally, nationally and around the world.

On this page, you will find a few basic facts about the finances of Memorial UCC and a few thoughts about what we call stewardship - the way individual members and the congregation as a whole tends to money and time. There are more details farther down the page.

Operating budget

Giving to others

In 2010, members and friends of Memorial UCC gave about $20,576 through our budget and through separate contributions to organizations beyond the boundaries of our congregation. These include:
International efforts like Church World Service, the Heifer Project, UNICEF and our partnership with Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem;
National projects like the Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, Miss., the UCC's Neighbors in Need campaign,and support for the work of our denomination;
Local projects like the Prison Ministry Project, organizations that work with the disabled, the Community Meal Program at Luke House, the food pantry at Allied Drive and individual families in need.

In addition to the financial contributions of our members to specific causes during the year, we have an Endowment Fund that gives 10 percent of its balance each year in grants to a number of community projects. One of our deceased members, Henry Ahrsbrak, left a bequest that, among other things, provides funds for families in need in the community.You can read more about our special funds that help with our Outreach efforts.

Stewardship

"Stewardship" is the term we use for how we relate our understanding of the message of Jesus to the way we use our time and money. This is something individuals wrestle with, but it also a principle that applies to us collectively as a congregation.

There are no entry fees to join Memorial UCC, there is no required annual contribution of money or time.  We do ask people when they become members to make a commitment to support the work and ministries of this congregation in whatever ways they are able.  In the fall, we ask members to give an indication of how much they intend to give financially in the following year to help the church leadership develop a responsible budget.  We also give members a chance to fill out a Time and Talent form indicating where they might help out with the work and outreach that we do here.  We also invite people during the year to consider donating money or time to a wide variety of projects.

Members may chose to give money through at automatic withdrawal plan. Details are here.

We also consider stewardship to relate how we tend the planet on which we live.  We have a wide range of environmental stewardship initiatives as a congregation and we continually look for ways to improve our role in being good stewards of the earth.