Finances at Faith & FAQs on Online Giving

Letter from the Pastor Regarding Our 2023 Ministry Budget and Faithfully Forward Debt Reduction Campaign

Thank you for all of you who have been supporting the vibrant ministries of Faith UMC—and the ministries of the United Methodist Church throughout the world. Your prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness have been a true blessing. We are still welcoming new guests each week and seeing folks officially become members of the church. Many people have gotten more deeply involved in ministries. Youth are coming out each Sunday evening for Bible Study and activities. New leaders are taking charge of various teams—Shepherding, Missions, Finance, Lay Leadership, etc. People are serving on the Worship Team; repairing, upgrading and cleaning the facilities; planning social events and fundraisers, teaching; visiting folks; etc. We couldn’t possibly measure the diverse ways you have served one another and the community!!

Your focus on becoming more faithful disciples is astounding as attendance is strong at our various Bible Studies, Grief Support Group, Junior Church, Youth Group, Bible2School program for elementary students, and the Monday Night "Chatting" group.

We have been able to support various individuals who have needed short-term financial help. This year many people experienced very difficult, life-changing circumstances. We have been able to provide pastoral counseling and the blessing of an entire church family that rallied around them with prayer, support, sympathy, friendship, and guidance. Innumerable hospital, hospice, and nursing home visits have extended the love of the church to those in pain. We have comforted families during the loss of loved ones and celebrated lives through funeral services. We have blessed several young couples beginning their lives together through pre-marital counseling and officiating their weddings.

The Fellowship Hall and Education Wing was used to host bridal and baby-showers, birthday parties, etc. AA and Al Anon leadership meetings take place here. The church has been packed for the Breakfast with Santa and has served several drive through meals. Tuesday and Wednesday mornings we host the Bible2School Class for students from Reidenbaugh Elementary School. You have truly enabled us to live into our mission of being a Community Hub by your generous support of our Ministry Budget and the Faithfully Forward Building Expansion.

We are also still in the midst of paying off the mortgage and bonds on the Faithfully Forward Campaign for the Fellowship Hall and Education Building Expansion that was completed in January of 2017. We retired one loan in December of 2019. Our remaining loan was $450,000 for 21 years--and we only have about 14 years left on the loan and under $360,000 to repay. The repayment is about $3,800 per month in principal and interest. Thank you for faithfully giving to help reduce this debt in addition to supporting our ministries directly.

We celebrate that due to many faithful givers--including some significant special donations over the last few months--we are finishing up 2023 with a balanced budget and reserves in our accounts to start the new year. This includes paying in full all of our apportionments to the annual conference (for bills and shared ministry) for 2022 and 2023, staying current on all of our bills and mortgage payments, and making up the significant projected 2023 budget deficit. Heading into 2024, we have funds to start the year with some reserves to help with cash flow. We also have a 2024 budget plan that is almost a balance between our expected expenses and a reasonable anticipated income from regular giving and fundraisers. We are in position for 2024 to be an amazing year for ministry together! 

Please prayerfully consider how you can continue to support our ministries in the new year. You can place a gift in the offering plate, mail a check, or donate online at FaithUMC.US under “Online Giving.”

In conclusion, we want to thank you for your prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness!

Thank you and God Bless!

The Rev. Jason Perkowski

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Online Giving:

• How do I make a contribution through the Vanco Online Giving System?
  • Click on "Online Giving" (here or via the button on the left sidebar menu) and a new window will pop up prompting you with instructions on making a donation.
  • There are other ways to give digitally to the church, but this is the simplest way for you to transfer funds directly from your card or bank account to the church's account.
  • Many banks / credit unions allow you to go online and set up a schedule for them to automatically mail a check. You can have them mail it to Faith UMC, 1290 Fruitville Pike, Lititz, PA 17543 and we will manually process it when it arrives.
  • If you have questions about other ways of making a donation (like Venmo, Facebook, etc.) please contact the Church Office at (717) 560-0321 or Office@FaithUMC.us.
• How do automated contributions work?
  • You select a payment method, start date, frequency and contribution amount. On the scheduled date(s), donations will be processed and deposited into the church bank account.
• When will my contributions be processed?
  • Your contributions will be processed on the date(s) you authorize (or the next day if it is after 3 PM).
• What can I use to show I made a donation?
  • The itemized list of electronic transactions that appear on your bank or credit card statement can be used as proof of your donations. You will also receive quarterly and year-end statements from the church. If you create a profile in the online giving system you can also pull up a list of all of your transactions in your giving history.
• Will I receive a receipt?
  • Yes. You will receive a receipt via email, and you will also be able to view transactions in your giving history if you created a profile in the online giving system. Guest donors will receive a receipt if they choose to enter their email address when completing a donation.
• How can I participate in the offering during service?
  • “I Give Electronically” cards will be available on the Information Table at the church to drop into the offering plate.
• How safe is electronic giving?
  • Vanco Payment Solutions meets or exceeds all industry standards to safeguard your data. To help ensure your data stays safe, Vanco leverages technology such as tokenizing card data and encrypting sensitive information for transmission and storage.
• Can I cancel or place a hold on my donation?
  • You can cancel or suspend donations by notifying the church or by going online and signing into your account in order to make changes.
• I made a mistake and donated the wrong amount. How can I get a refund?
  • Contact the church office at (717) 560-0321 or Office@FaithUMC.us and they will be able to credit the amount donated in error back to your account – just like when you return an item you bought at a store or online.
• What payment methods can I use to donate?
  • Donations can be made with all major debit/credit cards. You can also give or pay using your checking or savings account.
• Are there any fees when I make an online donation using Vanco?
  • The donor is not charged any fees by Vanco. There may or may not be fees charged by your bank/vendor based on their policies. However, the church is charged $0.45 per transaction as well as 1% for transactions made directly from your bank account (ACH Transfers) or 2.5% for transactions made from your debit / credit card (except for American Express which is a 4% fee).
  • When you set up your donation to the church you can choose to increase your gift to cover those fees by the following method:
    • For ACH transfers (all those that come directly from your bank account) you will need to calculate the amount by multiplying your donation by .01 and adding $0.45. That amount can then be added to your desired donation by typing it into the box where you can insert how much you want to add to cover fees.
    • For Debit / Credit Card transfers there is a check box (on the screen where you enter the credit card number) to have the system automatically calculate the percentage for you and add it to your donation. However, that does not cover the $0.45 transaction fee. You could add $.045 that to the ACH box or directly into your donation amount if you wanted.
    • You are not obligated to cover those fees, but if you do that amount is also tax deductible.