Giving Witness
WHO WE ARE: The Stewardship Team came together following the January 2020 Annual Meeting. We communicated via email and Zoom in March and June, and began our work in early September. The team members are:
- Jan Commentz
- Heidi Felix
- Ted Gerbracht (chairperson)
- Rick Gomez-Nieto
- Diane Mortagua
- Ken Norian
OUR PURPOSE: To foster the financial health and stability of our church in this time of rapid change and uncertainty
STEWARDSHIP IS BIBLICAL: Both the Old and New Testaments stress the need to acknowledge God’s many gifts to us by returning the “first fruits” of this abundance. In the Episcopal Church, the standard for giving is the tithe (“tenth”) – 10 percent of our annual income. Look here at some passages from Scripture.
HOW TO PLAN: Consciously consider your financial gift as part of your budget planning for 2021. This short film might help!
Budget Priorities
WAYS TO GIVE:
By check: This is still the preferred method for most churchgoers. (Mail your check to the church.)
Online: Tithe.ly. During the time of the pandemic, online giving became a viable option for many people. St. Jude’s has established an account with Tithe.ly that allows you to fulfill your giving plan online.
Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from an IRA: You must be over 72 years old and can be used in place of all or part of a required minimum distribution (RMD). The benefit is that the QCD is not taxable whereas a regular RMD is. This works even if you take the standard deduction. Fidelity has an excellent explanation of all of the ins and outs here.
Gift of Common Stock: One way to avoid capital gains taxes on appreciated common stock is to make a gift of the shares to the church. Individuals interested in doing this should contact the parish treasurer who will make arrangement for the transfer.