Stewardship Year Round 

Stewardship will now be promoted year round. The first Moment for Stewardship featured Building and Grounds and was presented by Davide Visco on the last Sunday of January. According to the Stewardship Committee, the next one will be March 20^th and will focus on our excellent music program. Others will follow once a month during the rest of the spring to highlight the major programs that our Operating dollars, time and talents support. We believe that so much good work and gifts by so many people should be celebrated. As Jesus reminded us, we should not hide our lights under a bushel basket   

Our Pastor, Moderator and Stewardship Chair recently attended a three-day conference on Faith and Fund-Raising sponsored by the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ and learned much in how to encourage all of us to be more faithful in our generosity.

Mary Barkley, Stewardship Chair

Moment for Stewardship –

Buildings and Grounds

On Sunday, January 30^th, I spoke to the congregation about stewardship.  We received positive feedback on the message and decided to print the comments in the Spire for those who missed them.

My wife Jen and I are members of Second Church.  We live in West Newton and have four children; three boys and a girl, who are all six and under.  As you can imagine - we're busy!  As a member of the Board of Resources, I would like to take this moment for stewardship and focus your attention on our wonderful church building and the grounds that surround it.

I'd like to start by telling you more about my family.  Jen and I moved to West Newton in 2001.  As many of you know, the housing stock in this area is old.  Our home was actually young - it was built in 1936.  As you can imagine, it needed some TLC.  We scraped, we sanded, we painted - we made it our home.  A few years later, our oldest son Peter was born.  We were ready - he would get the blue room - I know, we're quite original.  Everything was going according to plan - although, we were missing something.  I'm sure you can take a guess - yes, we didn't have a church in our lives.  We could see the spike on the Pike daily, as we traveled to and from work, but our casual walks up and down Chestnut and Highland left us confused.  We recognized and connected with the church's UCC affiliation, but what was this Clearway and Dorshei all about.  Well, a phone call, to who I know as Barbara today, made all things clear and an eventual visit with Richard set us on a path to becoming members.

Now six years later, I stand before you to congratulate our congregation.  We really understand stewardship.  Dorshei, Clearway, Second Church Nursery School, Cub Scouts, Alcoholics Anonymous, and the many other outside groups that use our building, highlight the fact that we are willing to share our building and allow them to be part of our congregation.  We certainly understand the stewardship of spaces - in fact, to the tune of approximately $130,000 in rental income.  Kudos to those that recognized our building was an asset, which would help fund a buildings and grounds budget of approximately $200,000.

The spire, cruciform, carvings and stained glass windows make this building an architectural masterpiece.  As you leave the building today, take a look at the top of the spire.  There are two stone figures back to back: an older person facing west and reminding us of our heritage, and a youth facing east and pointing us to the present and future. Please join me in thinking about the future - our stewardship of this building is for all of us and also for everyone who passes through our doors.

 Thank you.

Dave Visco
 Your Stewardship Committee

How Much Should I Give?

Members of our church have requested guidance on giving.  The following guide is based on UCC information, which indicates that the giving levels of church members reflect their level of church involvement and income.  The UCC recommends increasing your pledge by 1% annually until you reach your desired level of support.

Basic Support - suggested for an individual or family who considers the church its religious home and who feels they are a part of the church community, participates in some church activities, or uses its basic services.

Participatory Support - suggested for an individual or family who is actively involved, makes extensive use of services such as Sunday School, Adult Education, and Youth Programs, and views the church as a channel for the expression of their social, spiritual, and family  values.

Leadership Support - suggested for an individual or family committed to the support of the church's religious initiatives and program expansion, and who use the church as the principal means of achieving personal religious objectives for themselves, the family, their community, fellow Christians, and all human beings.

The Stewardship Committee suggests that you designate at least 25% of your pledge for support of our church's wider mission.  

IRA CHARITABLE ROLLOVER

A new tax-saving opportunity now exists for charitable giving.  On August 17, 2006 the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA 2006) was signed into law.  This legislation encourages financial support of charitable organizations across the United States and allows for a contribution with no adverse tax effect.

Under the PPA 2006, donors who are 70½, or older can make gifts in 2007 using funds from their individual retirement accounts (IRAs and Roth IRAs) without incurring income tax on the withdrawn funds.

 . Individuals age 70½ or older
 . Funds are transferred directly from an IRA or Roth IRA
. Gifts are made on or before December 31, 2007
. Distributions up to $100,000 per year can be made in 2007
. Gifts are transferred outright to a qualified charity
. The Second Church in Newton is a qualified charity
. Even though the amount of the gift must be tax deductible as a   charitable deduction, you do not receive a charitable tax deduction   for the distribution

 If you would like to take advantage of this tax-saving opportunity, please contact Bruce Macdonald (617-332-6635) or Pat Eston (617-244-0206).  They would be happy to answer questions or help you with the process.