Stewardship

Share Your Joy

Introducing our 2009 Stewardship Campaign for our Joy in Life, our Church. The theme for this year's joy is “Share Your Joy”, making possible the gifts of our church for yourself, our congregation, and the Paris our church serves in so many ways, every day.

The stewardship campaign is a way for all of us to "share our joy" in being part of the active fellowship of our church . Whether it is in being in the choir, or contributing to the missions, or helping in the Sunday school or pledging financial support, all help make our church the wonderful community it is. We invite you to "Share Your Joy" by making a commitment to ACP for 2009.

Our goal for this year is to reach a total pledge amount of 170,000 euros with 140 donors of money or time and talent to support ACP services, activities and missions. We will visibly celebrate how you "Share Your Joy" with a Tree of Joy in the Theater through out the month of November. Each time we receive a financial commitment or one of time or talent, you will see a new flower or leaf on our tree. We also invite all of you that make financial or time pledges to the church today to wear one of our symbols of "sharing your joy" on your lapel. Our goal is to see our tree of joy filled with life, with flowers and leaves on every branch and to see all of you each Sunday with a symbol of joy on your lapel!

The campaign will start November 2nd and continue through Sunday November 23rd. This year we have added a new dimension to the campaign with e mail and the ACP website. Instead of mailing pamphlets to all, e mails will be sent to those of you currently on the electronic mailing list. In addition this web page for stewardship on the ACP internet site presents additional information and electronic pledge forms.

After reading Pastor Scott Herr's letter below and prayerfully considering your own situation, we hope you will find new ways to "Share Your Joy" with the ACP through either a financial commitment or one of time and talent. .

We thank you in advance for helping make this campaign a success. We will be available after the 11:00 service, every Sunday in November to answer your questions, to take your pledges and to hand you your symbol of "Share Your Joy".

The Finance and Stewardship Committee Team.

Andrew Teng Chairman
Kris Richardson Vice Chair

Pascal Berger
Sue Orsoni
Tom Gross
Fayrouz Tawfik

Learn more about pledging, making a year long commitment to Share Your Joy.

 

Pastors Letter
Stewardship Principles from the Bible
Make a Pledge On-Line
Frequently Asked Question about the stewardship campaign
Challenging yourself to grow through giving
Why Pledge?
Where Does the Money Go?
How the Church Benefits
Planning and Taxes




 

"Share Your Joy"  Rev. Dr. Scott Herr

Dear Members and Friends of the American Church,

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Jesus wants us to experience the fullness of his joy:
I have said these things that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. (John 15.11)

Our joy is dependent on our asking and receiving from Christ.
Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete. (John 16.24)

Our joy comes from receiving God’s grace and produces in us joy and a wealth of generosity.
We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia; for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. (II Corinthians 8.1-2)

God invites us to freely give ourselves first to him, and then freely give of our resources to others.
For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, beggin us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints – and this, not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first to the Lord and, by the will of God, to us… (II Corinthians 9.3-5)

God actually wants us to test him in order to see the relationship between our giving and God’s blessing.
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it… Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” say the LORD Almighty. (Malachi 3:10-12)

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Pledging allows the Church Council to form the 2009 budget and support the many programs of the American Church in Paris.  Which of these many Joys is close to your heart?

Sunday School & Nursery
Book Table, Alpha Course, Lending Library
Adult Bible Studies
Pizza Night
Weekly Atelier Concerts
Hand Bell Ringers
Fall Family Retreat
Youth and Young Adult Activities
Crossroads & Bridge
Choirs: Adult, Youth & Childrens'
Prayer Groups
African Fellowship
International Singles Group
Hiking Group
King's Garden Orphanage
Bloom Where You're Planted
Friday Lunch for the Homeless
Assoc. of Christians Against Torture (ACAT)
French/ English Conversation Group
Women of the American Church (WOAC)
Habitat for Humanity
Refugee Ministry
Rafiki
Easter Breakfast & Thanksgiving Dinner
Filipino Fellowship
Greeters and Ushers

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The giving of our financial resources is much more than simply giving money to the church to be used for Christ’s ministry. Financial stewardship is also a spiritual discipline that leads us to trust that our faithful God will provide for us in the future. As we continue to depend on God’s daily grace to meet our needs, our faith grows. As we seek to grow in generosity each year, we discover deeper levels of joy and spiritual richness that come with sharing our financial resources at an increased level. We learn that there is a direct connection between financial stewardship and spiritual growth. Thus, all members and friends of the American Church in Paris are challenged to grow in their financial stewardship as one important way of deepening their spiritual life with Christ and growing in their faith.

My /Our current annual income is: _______________.

My /Our current level of total annual giving is: _______________.

The percentage of my /our current income that I/we give is: _______________%.

Consider growing 1% to a new percentage of: _______________%.

My /Our new annual giving amount will be a total of ________ euros OR ________ US dollars for the year 2009. [ Put this new number on your pledge card for 2009.]

Annual Income	Weekly Income	Weekly Giving
		15%	12%	10%	8%	5%	3%	1%
5,200	100	15.00	12.00	10.00	8.00	5.00	3.00	1.00
6,500	125	18.75	15.00	12.50	10.00	6.25	3.75	1.25
7,800	150	22.50	18.00	15.00	12.00	7.50	4.50	1.50
9,100	175	26.25	21.00	17.50	14.00	8.75	5.25	1.75
10,400	200	30.00	24.00	20.00	16.00	10.00	6.00	2.00
11,700	225	33.75	27.00	22.50	18.00	11.25	6.75	2.25
13,000	250	37.50	30.00	25.00	20.00	12.50	7.50	2.50
14,300	275	41.25	33.00	27.50	22.00	13.75	8.25	2.75
15,600	300	45.00	36.00	30.00	24.00	15.00	9.00	3.00
18,200	350	52.50	42.00	35.00	28.00	17.50	10.50	3.50
20,800	400	60.00	48.00	40.00	32.00	20.00	12.00	4.00
23,400	450	67.50	54.00	45.00	36.00	22.50	13.50	4.50
26,000	500	75.00	60.00	50.00	40.00	25.00	15.00	5.00
28,600	550	82.50	66.00	55.00	44.00	27.50	16.50	5.50
31,200	600	90.00	72.00	60.00	48.00	30.00	18.00	6.00
36,400	700	105.00	84.00	70.00	56.00	35.00	21.00	7.00
41,600	800	120.00	96.00	80.00	64.00	40.00	24.00	8.00
46,800	900	135.00	108.00	90.00	72.00	45.00	27.00	9.00
52,000	1,000	150.00	120.00	100.00	80.00	50.00	30.00	10.00
65,000	1,250	187.50	150.00	125.00	100.00	62.50	37.50	12.50
78,000	1,500	225.00	180.00	150.00	120.00	75.00	45.00	15.00
91,000	1,750	262.50	210.00	175.00	140.00	87.50	52.50	17.50
104,000	2,000	300.00	240.00	200.00	160.00	100.00	60.00	20.00

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WHY PLEDGE?

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why do Christians put so much emphasis on stewardship and tithing?

Financial stewardship, tithing and giving of our offerings are a form of spiritual discipline, just as prayer, meditation and Bible study.

What portion of my income should I promise to give?

Every individual must ask the question of God, “What would you have me give?” To the rich young ruler Jesus said, “Everything.” The impoverished widow freely gave “all she had.” The repentant Zacchaeus gave half of all he had. We are called to give sacrificially and in proportion to what we receive. The tithe (10%) is one important Biblical standard for giving. But each must consider, with the Lord’s guidance, how much that portion should be. If you are already giving, we invite you to consider increasing the percentage of your income that you gave last year as you take part in the Growth Giving Challenge as a way to deepen our reliance upon God’s grace.

Why is it important to make a pledge or to promise to give a certain amount of my income to the American Church in Paris during 2009?

The ACP relies on your pledges to fund its programs. In order to practice scriptural stewardship, programs are planned annually. The ACP annual budget is drawn up during the month of December. To enable the leaders – Pastors and Church Council members – to prepare a sound budget, they must know the revenue they can count on. Because of this, we invite you to make a pledge, or a promise, during November and December of 2008 for the 2009 budget.

How can I know how my contribution to the ACP is being used?

Each year the Church Council presents the annual budget for approval by the members of the church in a congregational meeting. The members of the ACP are the ones who have final determination or approval on how our tithes and offerings are used.

Can I get a tax deduction on my contribution to the ACP?

Yes. If you make your gift in euros, 2/3 of your contribution can be deducted from your French income tax payable. If you make your gift in U.S. dollars, you will receive an American tax deduction. If you write your checks to the AFCU, please stipulate that your gift is for the American Church in Paris.

What is the role of the American and Foreign Christian Union (AFCU)?

The AFCU pays the senior pastor’s salary. All other church expenses are financed by the ACP’s operating budget, of which your tithes and offerings are a major component.

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PLANNING and TAXES

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