Question 1

Who do I talk to about my giving, the church budget, or if I have other church-related, financial questions?

Accepted Answer

Our Treasurer's name is Audrey, and our Assistant Treasurer's name is Elizabeth. You can go to either of them.

Question 2

Where can I give?

Accepted Answer

You can give online or in person.
 
If you give online, go to: https://adventistgiving.org/#/org/AN4IB6/envelope/start
 
If you give in person, you can fill out a tithe envelope and place your donation inside of it. You can give it to Audrey or Elizabeth privately, or give it during the offering collection portion of our worship service.
 
You can find tithe envelopes in each pew in the church, and you fill out your name and some other details like the fund or project to which you're donating. We have pre-filled categories, but you can fill in your own, too.

Question 3

What's tithe and offering? Why does God say to give both of them?

Accepted Answer

Tithe is not the same as your offering.
 
Tithes are the 10% percent of our income. The Bible also tells us we should return God’s tithe to Him first, before we do anything else with our money (Proverbs 3:9).
 
Offering is anything you choose to give beyond your tithe. God’s people have practiced tithing since Genesis (see Genesis 14:18-20 and 28:22). But Moses reintroduces Israel to tithing as law in Leviticus 27:30-34.
 
Regarding Tithe:
 
Tithe was designed to support the priesthood. Today, that means pastors. “Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple…? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:13-14).
 
Tithe supports the maintenance of the temple, or church grounds (Haggai 1:3-11).
 
Tithing supports ministry (Deuteronomy 14:28–29).
 
Tithing is a form of worship. It shows God we trust Him (not money) to provide for us (Malachi 3:8-12). 
 
Regarding Offerings:
 
God promises to bless us for giving. Offerings are a way we thank God for our blessings. (Deuteronomy 15:10; Proverbs 11:25; Proverbs 3:9-10).
 
As God’s steward, we rejoice in the blessings that come as a result of His love for us. God’s love through us compels us to live graciously and give generously. We believe everything is God’s and He allows us the privilege of managing what is given to us. We also believe stewardship is a gift God gave us from the Garden of Eden. It is an exercise of faith and character building as well as a way to bless others.

Question 4

How is my money used when I donate my tithe?

Accepted Answer

When you donate your tithe, it all goes to the Northern New England Conference. The Auburn church is a local church, and all local, Seventh-day Adventists churches report to their headquarters for their region, which is the Conference. The Conference uses the tithe money to pay all the pastors in the region and for other evangelism purposes to forward on the work of ministry.

Question 5

How is my money used when I donate my offering?

Accepted Answer

Your offering goes wherever you want it to go. It's important not to include your offering in your tithe donation since the two have very different functions. Tithe money does not stay in the local church (see the question above this one). Your offering typically is the donation that keeps the local church, Auburn, running. So, if you donate to the building fund, local evangelism, food pantry, or a specfific ministry at Auburn, then your money is going to stay in the local church budget. You also can write in a line item if you don't see the specific thing written in which you want to give. Say you want to donate to the church so that they can go out and give items to the homeless. You would write in something to the effect of, "Donation for homeless ministries."

Question 6

How can I stay up to date on how the church is doing financially?

Accepted Answer

There are a few ways to do this.
 
Attending Business Meetings are the best way to keep up with what's happening because a financial report is given every time. Business Meetings are open to everyone, but only members can vote and have a voice in them. The second way is to speak with our Assistant Treasurer, Elizabeth. She may answer your specific questions. Finally, there is always a little bit of detail in our weekly bulletin.

Question 7

I purchased something for the church. How do I get a reimbursement?

Accepted Answer

If you are a Ministry Leader, then you can make direct requests to our Treasurer, Audrey, by emailing her a copy of your receipt that needs reimbursement. Ministry Leaders have their own budget that they can use, and therefore are the ones who make the decisions about what comes out of it. For example: the Women's Ministry Leader is in charge of her women's ministry fund, the Young Adult Leader is in charge of their young adult fund, and the Prayer Ministries leader is in charge of their prayer fund. All these different funds are budgeted for the year and voted on by the body. The Ministry Leader keeps track of these things with help from the Treasurer.
 
If you are a member or friend of the church who needs reimbursement, you would seek out the Ministry Leader in charge so that they can make the reimbursement request to Audrey for you. Before you purchase any supplies or items, you need to speak with the Ministry Leader to have it approved. Members are not guaranteed reimbursement if they have not cleared it with the Ministry Leader first. Audrey will only reimburse requests that come directly from the Ministry Leader, Elder, or Pastor.

Question 8

Are my donations tax deductable?

Accepted Answer

Yes! You should get a year-end receipt of all your giving.

Question 9

Does the church give out money to help people?

Accepted Answer

The church loves to help people in a variety of ways based on the unique needs of the individual. It is the church policy that we do not give out money to individuals if they are not church members, but we still try to help any way that we can. When it comes to members, the monetary request either goes to a board meeting where it is decided by the body leadership on how to proceed, or a Ministry Leader can approve it. For example, if a member is struggling to pay for their heating costs, this will probably go to the board. If someone is asking for help with continuing their education, sometimes the Women's Ministry or Men's Ministry leader may approve it, although they are not obligated to do so, and they may ask for the request to go to the board for approval.

Question 10

What is stewardship?

Accepted Answer

We are God’s stewards, entrusted by Him with time and opportunities, abilities and possessions, and the blessings of the earth and its resources. We are responsible to Him for their proper use. We acknowledge God’s ownership by faithful service to Him and our fellow human beings, and by returning tithe and giving offerings for the proclamation of His gospel and the support and growth of His church. Stewardship is a privilege given to us by God for nurture in love and the victory over selfishness and covetousness. Stewards rejoice in the blessings that come to others as a result of their faithfulness. (Gen. 1:26-28; 2:15; 1 Chron. 29:14; Haggai 1:3-11; Mal. 3:8-12; Matt. 23:23; Rom. 15:26, 27; 1 Cor. 9:9-14; 2 Cor. 8:1-15; 9:7.)

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