Your Financial Support is Important
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Jacksonville is a financially autonomous
church. This means that we raise our own funds and prepare a budget each year
that allocates how much will be spent for each church activity. The budget is
reviewed, modified and adopted by the congregation during the church's annual
meeting. Since we have minimal endowment or outside financial support, all of us
contribute to the expense of running the church. We expect of each other a
reasonable level of financial giving. We do not set fixed amounts for individual
or family giving. The By-laws of the church, however, establish requirements for
maintaining "active voting membership" in order to participate in
church business meetings. Upon request, the Minister or President of the
Congregation can grant voting status to a person with hardship circumstances.
Some guidelines for you to consider when deciding your annual pledge to the
church are as follows:
Studies show that most religious fundamentalists donate 10% of their annual
income to their church. A majority of the traditional Protestant sects give
anywhere from 6% to 10%. The average Presbyterian, Disciple of Christ and Jew
give 4% of their income.
As persons of conscience and action, we know that Unitarian Universalists
give often to many causes. Depending on your personal circumstances, we feel
that a gift of 2% to 4% provides a reasonable guideline for your pledge.
Those who give more than 4% annually consider their church and liberal religion
to be an utmost priority for them and to society.
Pledging enables the finance committee to establish budgets responsibly, just
as you set priorities based on personal resources. Your pledge to your church is
a moral contract. By willingly pledging and by being prompt in payment, you help
your church to remain strong.
Your decision about what to pledge is intimately connected with your
values--those intangible qualities that enhance mental and spiritual growth and,
ultimately, the quality of our lives. In pledging and contributing, as with so
many aspects of your church, you are not buying a
package complete and wrapped with ribbon. You are actively supporting the
ongoing flow of ideas, inspiration for living and the special place in which to
keep this alive. A truly free church is one of the most unique and precious
institutions in a community and in the world. Join us in keeping our church a
vital force in Jacksonville.
| 
