Annual Pledge

If you would like to pledge, contact Brenda Russell, Bookkeeper, at the Church Office at brussell@cchartford.org.

WHY PLEDGE?

You might be wondering why the church asks you to pledge; you might not be completely comfortable with the idea of making a commitment to the church through your pledge. In order to help you understand why the Stewardship Committee asks you to pledge, here are some questions and answers:

1 – What is Christian Stewardship?

We define stewardship as our response to God’s love, grace and salvation. Stewardship gives us all a chance to use our gifts of time, talent and money to do God’s work in the world.

2 – What is pledging?

When you pledge, you make a commitment to give a certain amount of money to the church throughout the church year. You can indicate on your pledge card whether you want to make an annual, quarterly, monthly or weekly contribution.

3 – Why is it important to pledge?

As Christians, we worship God in all areas of our lives, including our finances. When we make a commitment to pledging a certain amount of money, we are serving God through our material resources. Giving is an essential part of the Christian faith; Christians have practiced the discipline of giving for hundreds of years. When you pledge you show your commitment to the future of the church, your gratitude to God for all the blessings you have received and you make a difference in other people’s lives through the healing ministries of the Church of Jesus Christ. Therefore, pledging is a joyous Christian discipline in our life.

4 – Why does the church need my money?

God does not need your money, but the church does. As a not-for-profit organization, Center Church needs your financial support to pay the church staff, including our newly settled pastor, the office staff and the Director of Music. Your pledge also pays our utility bills as well as the ongoing up-keep of the Meeting House and the Church House. It funds our Sunday school program, youth group, Adult Education classes, the Coffee Ministry and the work of all the church boards and committees. The worship, education, mission outreach and fellowship programs we offer would be severely limited without your pledge. We are also planning to restore our beautiful portico and steeple and your financial support is crucial to help our church complete such an ambitious and much relevant project. It is expensive to maintain our beloved church buildings and we cannot do it without your help.

Center Church has many expenses; a percentage of the money that keeps us running comes from our endowment, but we cannot rely solely on the money given to us by previous generations of faithful Christians. This is our time to show how much we love God and this church by making a financial commitment to Center Church’s present and to its future. When you make a pledge, you allow us to better plan on how to make investments that will strengthen the life, ministries and mission of our church.

5 – Do I have to pledge?

None of our church members are required to pledge to participate in the life of Center Church. However, as mentioned above, pledging is not simply writing a check to meet the needs of our budget, it is instead a concrete proof of our gratitude to God for this church and for God’s love and care for you and your loved ones.

6 – Does it matter how much I pledge?

We love and accept people at Center Church regardless of how much they pledge. We simply hope that all our members will faithfully give to the church so we may continue to proclaim God’s love, to do God’s work and to help the least of God’s children. Some Christians choose to give 10% of their income to the church; others make a commitment to give a different percentage. Whatever each member decides to give, it must be a decision done prayerfully and joyfully, so we may all give thanks together for the privilege we have been given to use our resources to help others and to glorify God, our Maker and Giver of all good gifts.

7 – Can I change my pledge if my financial circumstances change?

Yes. We do understand that circumstances in our lives change. Sometimes people give more than they originally pledged. Other times, they need to reduce or even cancel their pledge for some time. We simply ask you to let us know if your circumstances change.

We hope that all our church members will turn in their pledges in gratitude for all they have received from God and as a sign of their commitment to the future of Center Church.