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Stewardship

200 YEARS OF WORSHIP, DISCIPLESHIP AND SERVICE
THE BEST IS YET TO COME

 

2023 marks the 200th year that First Presbyterian Church has worshipped and served in the Jackson, TN community. That’s a tremendous milestone, and we are indeed fortunate to be part of the history of this church at such an exciting time!

Over those 200 years, our predecessors in this community of faith have given much and served diligently in order that we might have a firm foundation on which to stand as we seek to “act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God.” (Micah 6:8). Now the foundation has been laid, and it’s our turn. Our turn to honor the past, serve faithfully in the present, and work for positive change in the future.

One way we can do that is by financially supporting the mission of Jesus Christ. In our church, our financial support is organized through careful budgeting and pledging. We try to determine what our financial needs will be in the coming year, compile a budget based on those needs, and ask our members to submit a pledge to support the budget. A pledge is your personal and confidential estimate of what you hope you will be able to give to the church in the coming year. A pledge may be revised upward or downward at any time if your circumstances change.
Making a pledge is important. It helps us as we work to prepare the church’s 2024 budget, and it serves as a personal goal, and act of commitment, for you. As you prayerfully consider what you will be able to contribute to the work of Jesus Christ during the coming year, we want you to understand these things about our financial stewardship:

We are faithful to scripture. The biblical mandate to give is highlighted in sermons and minutes for mission and other ways. The Gospel is the center of our ministry.
We are accountable and faithful. An independent accounting firm is hired each year to audit the
church finances. Every penny given to the church is used in ministry. In the coming days you will find copies of the church budget, as well as narrative budgets, located around the church buildings. You may also call the church office to request that a budget be mailed to you.
We are people focused. Our finances are used to impact lives, whether they are in Allenton Heights, Peru, the Dominican Republic, or our own sanctuary. Christ changes lives through us.
We are Christian Education focused. We are committed to enabling both adults and children to
experience the life changing presence of Christ through Sunday School, small groups, and other
discipleship opportunities.
We are systematic in our giving and our use of funds. The pledging process insures that the church can faithfully plan for every penny spent. You will soon receive a pledge card in the mail, and you are encouraged to bring it with you to our Stewardship Dedication Sunday, October 22. You may also mail it to the church or go online to our website and make a pledge there.

What a privilege it is to serve a loving God in such a time as this, and to give thanks for the great things God has done, is doing, and will do through us!

Please spend the next few weeks in prayer for the budget and work of our congregation. We can do so much together in this place, but to be effective, we need everyone to pull together! Please pray about the ways God is calling you to serve in ministry at First Presbyterian Church, and let God use you! Remember, as God has graciously given to us, so also we are called to respond!

First Presbyterian Church’s Vision for Stewardship

Our church has a long standing record of service in the Jackson community and beyond. We are currently participating in several local outreach efforts such as Room in the Inn through Area Relief Ministries (ARM) and the Soup Kitchen at Regional Inter-Faith Association (RIFA). Additionally, we support Scarlet Rope, Aspell Manor, Carl Perkins Center for Prevention of Child Abuse, Habitat for Humanity, HandsUp Preschool, Meals on Wheels, and Youth Town. We also support and are involved with international mission trips to our sister church in Cusco, Peru.

2023-2024 Narrative Budget

What Can You Do?

1. Make a Pledge

What is a pledge, and why should I make a pledge to the church? 

A pledge is a statement of what you intend to give to the church next year.  It may be changed or canceled anytime as your circumstances dictate.  So why make one?

First of all, we pledge because we know we are called to make a commitment to the God who loves us beyond measure and has given us so much.  We plan for many events in our lives…how can we commit to so many other things and not plan our commitment to Jesus Christ?  A pledge is born out of thanksgiving and Christian responsibility and is a tangible reminder of God’s grace and our response.

Secondly, we pledge in order to help our church plan for her ministry and use her gifts and resources effectively.  In regards to financial contributions and planning, this church believes in being responsible, accountable, faithful, and systematic.  A pledge to this church helps us plan effectively to carry out the call and challenge of Jesus Christ.   If we can anticipate our resources, we can plan our actions.

Please pray about it, and carefully consider making a pledge to support the 2023 budget of our church.  It is an important step for you, and a wonderful way to support this congregation.  Please note that all pledges stay confidential between the donor and the church finance office. Thank you for your prayerful consideration.

There are four ways to make your pledge to FPC:
-Fill out pledge card on our website (scroll to the bottom of this page)
-Make a pledge online using Vanco
-Mail in stewardship pledge card, or
-Call FPC Financial Secretary

Scroll to the bottom of the page to fill out your Financial Pledge Form!

2. Donate to First Presbyterian Church
There are multiple ways to donate. If you have any questions about this process, please do not hesitate to call the church office at 731.422.1591.

  • Check: Make payable to First Presbyterian Church.  Mail or drop off at 1573 N. Highland Ave. Jackson, TN 38301
  • Bill Pay:  Online bill pay through your local Financial Institution is a service that sends money out of your bank account to whomever you wish. In most cases, these online bill pay services will print a check and mail it to the recipient.  To set up this type of online bill pay, you should be able to set up a new payee in the name of First Presbyterian Church.  Enter the address 1573 N. Highland Ave. Jackson, TN 38301.  Each time you want to pay you will just enter the amount of the donation and you’re done. The bank will print and mail a check that will pull money from your account.  It can also usually be set up where it can be paid on a recurring basis of your choice.  Please contact your local bank for additional assistance needed.
  • Auto Bank Draft: Many financial institutions offer automatic bank draft services to make it easy to donate.  First Presbyterian Church also provides bank drafts for your convenience.  Direct deposits can be set up weekly, monthly, or for a one-time transfer.  Return the signed document to the church office.
    Bank Draft Authorization Form
  • Vanco Using Vanco you are able to make contributions to a specific cause or make a pledge to the church so that it can continue to serve the community. Click here to make a pledge using Vanco.

We are excited to announce an important update to giving at FPC with a change to the Vanco giving platform. This will replace our previous giving platform and our mobile app.

In addition to giving, we will also utilize the platform for event registration, Wednesday Night Dinner reservations, online directories, and more!

 First Presbyterian Church has already made this change to begin using Vanco.
CLICK HERE to give to FPC through Vanco!

INSTRUCTIONS FOR DOWNLOADING THE VANCO APP:

1. In your App or Play store, search for Vanco Mobile Faith Engagement.
2. Tap the Vanco Mobile app or tap Install.
3. On the Welcome screen, tap Find your organization, and enter First Presbyterian Church
4. There is a “Church Invite Code” required to join. You have two options for this: You can request the code from an FPC Staff member or you can tap “Request to Join/Sign Up” which will send a message to the administrator to get signed up.

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