It was a blessing to see so many participate in our recent “Service of Thanksgiving” on Sunday, November 23, especially as we culminated our month-long practice of gratitude by writing thanksgivings on the paper leaves and placing them on the trees in the sanctuary. The Grove Covenant Church is grateful for God’s provision through you over the years in so many ways. As we shared in our “Inheritance” series last month: “Generosity isn’t about what the church wants from you—it’s about what God wants for you.” This strongly connects with our “Touchstone of Transformation”. We aspire to be transformed and ever-transforming. To that end, “Generosity” is one of our distinctives of our Rule of Life at the Grove. We steward faithfully over our financial resources and commit to the discipline of intentional, thoughtful giving to our church community and to generosity in all our relationships. It is always encouraging to see the faithful stewardship of our attenders and the way you strengthen and deepen the mission and ministry.

As most of you know, today is Giving Tuesday. Giving Tuesday is a global day of generosity for good. Many of you already take advantage of these creative ways to give listed below but today is a good day to highlight some unique ways to participate in the funding of the mission God has given us at The Grove Covenant Church.

Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCD)

If you are age 70½ or older, one tax efficient way to give is by giving directly from your Individual Retirement Account (IRA). A direct gift from a traditional IRA to a qualified charity (often called a “Qualified Charitable Distribution” or QCD) can satisfy some or all of your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) once you are required to take RMDs (generally starting at age 73), and the amount given this way is generally not included in your taxable income. If you are taking RMDs from an IRA, or have an inherited IRA and would like to explore charitable giving options, please talk with your tax or investment professional or me (Pastor Kurt).

Giving Securities

In the past, many individuals have inquired about the process of giving stock to the church as part of their tithes and offerings. A few years ago, we developed a protocol for handling these transactions and from time to time, it is good to remind everyone of the process.

Gifts of appreciated securities (such as stocks, bonds, and mutual funds) to The Grove Covenant Church carry two benefits that cash gifts do not. You may eliminate the income tax on capital gains when contributing securities and, depending on your individual itemized deduction amount, you also may be able to take an income tax deduction based on the securities' fair market value on the date of the gift -- a double tax benefit from both the avoidance of capital gains on appreciated shares and the gift deduction.

What Are The Guidelines For Giving Appreciated Securities?

• The full market value of the security at the time of the gift – not the cost of the security to the donor – is used to compute the possible allowable tax deductions.
• You must have owned the security for more than one year and a day.
• No matter how much the property has appreciated in value, you pay no capital gains tax on your paper profit.

If you have any questions or would like to be provided with additional information including how a broker can transfer stock to The Grove Covenant Church through a Direct Transfer Certificate, please contact me at the church.

E-Giving

If you are a person who doesn’t like carrying a checkbook or someone who would rather pay your bills online, The Grove Covenant Church offers a way for you to give to our ministries through our online giving portal. Gifts can be designated for the General Fund, the Benevolent Fund, Christmas Outreach, Youth Summer Missions Trip, and even the Covenant Community Development Corporation (CCDC). You may give using a debit/credit card or direct withdrawal from your bank account. You may also set up recurring giving, whether you prefer to give weekly or monthly. For more information see the giving portal link here.

E-Giving is also now available through our church app or by scanning the QR code found on the back of the pews.

There are other creative options such as creating a Donor-Advised fund, Charitable Gift Annuity, or Charitable Remainder Trust. I am happy to talk with anyone who would like to know more about any of these creative ways to strengthen and deepen the mission at The Grove Covenant Church! In this season of thanks, I am reminded of Paul’s words to the church in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 9:12: This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.

Blessings

Pastor Kurt