PLEDGE LETTER
Dear Members of the BMUC Faith Community,
First off, we wish to say, “Thank you,” to every person who is part of BMUC’s faith community for your presence, your activity, your worship and prayer life, your leading and teaching, the giving of your time, wisdom, finances and your joy. You, from the very youngest to the eldest, are the legacy of those who, even in the 1920s, dreamed of what BMUC could become today. You are the people for whom our church forebears worked, prayed, gave and sacrificed. Praise be to God for them and for you! And everything that you bring to BMUC in terms of being present, worshiping and praying, giving and sacrificing are not only for our time now, but like our forebears, you are giving, serving, and doing for those for whom we dream, support and pray in the years to come. Thanks be to God.
We have lived, prayed, and worshiped through a tough couple of years and are adjusting to living in to a new reality with Covid being with us for the long haul. That has not diminished our faith in God, in Christ, nor our passion for living out the vision God has for BMUC to shape and transform our community, our families and our world into the realm God envisioned at the beginning.
Each of us is a partner in this ministry; co-creating, with God, a world where all are treated with dignity, love, respect and care regardless of from where they have come, whom they love and where they live or work. This is fundamental to the work BMUC does and will continue to do.
Our Stewardship and Finance team (along with our other teams) is working toward building an annual budget that is balanced by tithes and pledges given against the annual costs of BMUC’s ministries. In the fall of 2022, we opted to change our annual stewardship and budgeting from a calendar year (January-December) to a fiscal year that runs from July–June. This allows us to focus our spiritual, physical, and financial energy at the end of the calendar year on our Thanksgiving and Christmas ministries, and then in the springtime, we will focus on our annual overall ministries. To plan for this, we have asked our teams and committees to put together a 6-month budget for January–June 2023 so that we begin the annual fiscal budgeting in July 2023. All committees and teams have done so.
We now ask you to go to God in prayer; to talk with your family and whomever else you trust to discern your tithe or pledge for January-June 2023. We have attached a Pledge card, on the back of which is a “step chart,” showing the range of annual and monthly incomes and ranges of giving from 1% to 15%. Wherever you start and however much you grow in giving, know that God journeys with you in your spiritual growth.
The practice of generosity is a faith discipline. Growing in generosity is the mark of a developing faith and a deeper walk with Christ. As a congregation, we are seeking to be fed spiritually and to actively engage the world where its deepest needs meet our abilities. And with God’s help, to be a difference for transformation. Every time we give, that gift becomes ministry and mission. Please keep our congregation in prayer as we move together toward discerning what gifts we will make for the first 6-months of 2023.
There are many ways for you to complete your Pledge/Tithe card: online or by email, by dropping it in the offering plate in worship, or via regular mail (BMUC 1710 Carleton St., Berkeley, CA 94703, Attn: Jill Israels).
To submit your pledge online, please go to https://forms.gle/SpvXGKD5fL7qcSyd8
Berkeley Methodist United Church is blessed that you chose to be a part of its legacy in faith, and we hope that you will continue to pledge your support for its ministries this year and in years to come. (Our Financial Secretary, Jill Israels, will confidentially keep your financial records of tithing or pledging.)
Should you find that you need or want to change your stewardship commitment, please do let Jill know at any time via email, phone, or post. Again, thank you for your part in the life changing work of this congregation.
Generously yours,
Mike Williams, Rev. Pamela L. Kurtz,
Chairperson, Stewardship and Finance Pastor
Thank you for your generous gifts!
We are so grateful to everyone who supports God’s Kingdom through Berkeley Methodist United Church. We have a number of ways you can help support the ministry at BMUC and support our efforts to help others in need.
Online Giving:
1) Using your financial institution’s payment system (“Bill Pay”.) It should be a feature on your bank or credit union’s mobile app or website when you log in to your account. After you set it up, they will mail a check to BMU. There should be no fees. If it asks for an account number, please use your first initial and last name.
Bill Pay Instructions
Even though your donation to BMUC isn’t technically a “bill,” you can still set it up to have your bank send one-time or recurring gifts to the church. Here are some guidelines to help you get this set up with your bank:
● Follow the directions on your bank’s website to set up a new bill or payee.
● If given a choice, choose to pay a company rather than a person.
● In the space for “company name,” enter: Berkeley Methodist United Church
● In the space for “company address,” enter:
1710 Carleton Street
Berkeley, CA 94703
● In the space for “company phone number,” enter: 510-848-4680.
● In the space for “account number,” enter your first initial and your last name; for example: JDOE
● After you have set up Berkeley Methodist United Church as a biller, it is added to your list of bills or payees and you can select it at any time and enter a payment amount and a payment date.
● You will also have the option of setting up automatic or recurring payments. (This adds greater convenience but is not recommended if there is a risk of overdrawing from your account.)
Bill pay is usually a free service of your checking account, but some banks charge a monthly fee for their bill-pay service that can be waived depending on account balance, etc.
The church is not charged any fees for receiving a donation through your bank’s bill-pay service, so what you donate is what will appear on your quarterly and annual giving statements.
Generally, all donations are designated for the general fund, which covers the operating expenses of the church and which funds our giving to the mission organizations we have partnered with as a church.
If you wish to designate all or a portion of your donation in any other way, you can type instructions in the “note” section when setting up the payment.
Thanks to Swift Presbyterian Church in Alabama, from whom we adapted these instructions
2) We have partnered with Tithe.ly to bring you secure online giving and to make it easy for you to make one-time or recurring donations. Get the App on mobile or please click here to donate online. (please note, it is the default to “cover [the Tithely] fees”, but you may uncheck the “cover fees” box if you wish to not do so. Tithely fees are between 1% and 2.9% of the donation, plus 30 cents per transaction.)
To find out more about giving online through Tithe.ly, read our blog post.
Support by Mail:
If you’d like to mail in your support, your check can be mailed to Berkeley Methodist United Church, 1710 Carleton St, Berkeley CA 94703. Or drop in our mail slot if you’re in the neighborhood.
Special Donations:
World Communion Sunday:
Please give generously either online at our website (Tithely) or by mailing a check to BMUC, 1710 Carleton St, Berkeley, CA 94703. In the memo section, please write “World Communion Sunday.”
Friends of Wadi Foquin: to donate, please visit this page for instructions.
Palestine Holy Land Pilgrimage: Pilgrims, if you can, please pay for your trip by check. Make your check out to BMUC and send to Berkeley Methodist United Church, 1710 Carleton St, Berkeley 94703, c/o Rev. Pam Kurtz. Please write in the memo line, Palestine Pilgrimage payment.
If you prefer to pay online, please follow the Online Giving instructions above and be sure to choose the appropriate drop-down menu category. You must “cover [the Tithely] fees” (it is a checkbox on the payment screen) or we will ask you to send another payment to make up the difference.
Scholarship for Palestine Pilgrims: If you would like to help defray the costs for those making the Palestine Holy Land Pilgrimage, your donations are truly welcome! Please send a check to “BMUC” with “Scholarship for Palestine Pilgrimage donation” in the memo line, or use the Tithely link above.
Fundraising:
Contribute to BMUC while You Shop: You don’t have to write us a check to support the ministries at BMUC. In the course of your everyday life, you can make donations at no extra cost to you! We have partnered with organizations like iGive, UMCmarket, eScrip, and others to make it easy for you to shop and donate at the same time. Click for more details.
Volunteering:
Other Ways to Contribute to BMUC: We also truly appreciate your donations of your time and talents! Please see the volunteer page for more info. Thank you!
