ONLINE PLEDGE
To pledge online or complete an online pledge form click on the links below. For more information contact communications@calvarychurchstonington.org
1847 SOCIETY
(Long Term Gifting)
The 1847 Society of Calvary Church recognizes with gratitude those members of the parish who provide or intend to provide a future financial benefit to support the mission of Calvary Church. These future benefits are frequently provided in wills or by other planned giving instruments which suit the estate planning circumstance of the donors. These gifts may or may not become part of the Calvary Church Endowment. Members of the Society will be given, and will be entitled to wear, its "1847" pin to recognize their intended special gift.
Providing a future financial benefit in support of Calvary's mission is an opportunity to support Calvary Church for future generations, our own children and grandchildren.
For further discussion about this opportunity, please feel free to contact the Church.
We invite you to consider joining the 1847 Society of Calvary Church by filling out the electronic form below:
OTHER WAYS TO GIVE
There are many ways to give to Calvary, whether it is by giving your time or by donating money to support the many missions of Calvary Church. If you are interested in donating to Calvary Church, you can contact the church office or speak with one of our clergy after a Sunday morning worship service.
AMAZON SMILE
You can also shop with Amazon Smile. When you shop with Amazon Smile and set Calvary Episcopal Church as the recipient, Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases to the charitable organization of your choice at no extra cost to you for purchases you are already making. Amazon Smile uses your current Amazon account, so your shopping cart, wish lists, and other account settings are the same. Here is how to sign up.
Go to smile.amazon.com
Sign into your regular Amazon account. You will need your email address and your Amazon password.
In the top left portion of the screen (just to the right of the "amazon smile" logo) there is a field for choosing and supporting your charitable organization. Click on the "Supporting" field.
On the next screen you are able to "pick your own charitable organization", please type in "Calvary Episcopal Church Stonington, CT" and then click the "Search" button.
Calvary Episcopal Church Stonington, CT will be in the results section. You just need to click the "Select" button. Once selected, Amazon will return you to their main page and give you a quick thank you message.
* Amazon Smile donations are generally transferred approximately 45 days after the end of each calendar quarter.
STEWARDSHIP
“Remember the words of the Lord Jesus,
how he said: It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
The fundamental purpose of stewardship is to raise money to fund the church annual budget and to encourage parishioners to consider making legacy gifts to the general endowment. Everyone who worships and participates in the life of the parish has a responsibility to do what they can through a combination of committing time, sharing talents and supporting the needed funds to sustain and preserve Calvary Church.
The Stewardship Committee is a group of active parishioners who work closely with the Church’s Treasurer, Finance and Endowment Fund Management Committees. The Calvary Stewardship Committee is co-led by Tom Sanford and Jim Taylor.
Stewardship is a year round activity. The annual program to secure pledges to fund the budget takes place primarily in October, but planning begins in May and concludes in December. Programs to raise awareness for legacy giving through various forms of planned giving to the General Endowment tend to occur during the first half of the calendar year.
The annual Pledge Program includes activities such as a parish-wide brunch, reflections on the importance of Calvary by parishioners, information messages explaining how pledge dollars are used by the church and Dedication Sunday when the pledges are blessed. To facilitate the pledge education and collection, the Stewardship Committee prepares comprehensive “Pledge Packets” which are distributed to each pledging unit in the fall.
The Stewardship Committee has prepared and uses several leaflets to explain Planned Giving and the 1847 Society, the latter which recognizes church members who have, or intend to, make a legacy gift, typically through a planned gift.
Endowment Planned Giving
GIVING FOR THE FUTURE OF CALVARY CHURCH IS GROUNDED IN SCRIPTURE
Jesus often talked about our relationship to the “things” we possess. In Luke 12: 13-21 Jesus is asked about dividing a family inheritance. He replies with a story. A rich man decides to build new barns to hold his bumper crop, then to “eat, drink and be merry.”
However, “God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’
So is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
As stewards of God’s bounty we are given time, energy and resources. What we do with these gifts ultimately defines the character of our life and the depth of our spiritual understanding.
Calvary Church Endowment
The Calvary Church Endowment holds all the long-term investments owned by Calvary Church, including those belonging to the schools because the schools are part of Calvary Church.
The Calvary Church Endowment consists of two parts:
The GeneralEndowment Fund, established in 2010. The provisions of this fund are summarized in this leaflet.
Other Designated Funds. All funds established by the Vestry or by individual donors with the intention that the principal be invested and regular income distributions be used for designated purposes. These purposes are different from those contemplated by the resolutions governing the General Endowment Fund. For more information about these funds, please contact the Church.
The Calvary Church Endowment presents an opportunity to make a gift for the future of Calvary Church. Many of these gifts are made in someone’s memory or honor.
General Endowment Fund
This fund was established in December, 2010. Resolutions establishing the GEF state it is intended “. . . to enable the parish to fulfill its Mission now and for subsequent generations by providing for its ministries beyond what is possible through its annual operating funds . . .”
The resolutions also provide that:
The custodian, manager and administrator be the Endowment Fund Management Committee (“EFMC”)
No distributions shall be made to the operating budget
Unless otherwise directed by a donor, distributions shall be used for (a) capital needs, (b) outreach, and (c) special projects
How the amount of annual distributions to the parish shall be determined
The terms and conditions set by a donor shall prevail over the terms and conditions in the original resolutions
While the EFMC determines the amount of each annual distribution, the Vestry decides how the fund should be spent, within the limits referred to in (3) above, to promote the achievement of Calvary’s mission.
Planned Giving
Assuring a strong future for Calvary through planned giving is one expression of the wise use of the personal resources God has entrusted to us. It enables a donor to transfer resources for future generations to continue the mission of Calvary Church.
Planned gifts to Calvary Church may be:
Designated for the Calvary Church Endowment, either for the General Endowment Fund or as one of the Other Designated Funds, or
Designated for some specific use not as part of the endowment, or
Unrestricted, in which case the Vestry will decide how its use will best serve the mission of the Church.
Planned gifts are made as a bequest in your will or through a life insurance policy, or through other instruments usually involving a tax benefit for the donor. It involves financial and estate planning requiring the guidance of your personal lawyer.