| Ministry and mission
at First Presbyterian church means making contact with and serving others
with our actions as well as our money. Many opportunities
exist for us to put our faith into action, both within the programs and
facilities of First Presbyterian, with agencies supported by First
Presbyterian Church and beyond the church..
If you wish to serve Christ and others, :Click below for
a listing of opportunities:
DEACON EMERGENCY BENEVOLENCE FUND
RATIONAL
The Church exists to nurture those who seek
its care. Human needs may be emotional, spiritual, intellectual, or
physical in nature. First Presbyterian Church responds to its community of
believers with defined program ministries. The Board of Deacons is a lay
ministry characterized by acts of compassion extended to defined groups
within the church or through outreach ministries. These activities are
designed to support and restore individuals and families through times of
emotional, physical, spiritual, and financial hardship.
PURPOSE
The purpose of the Deacon Emergency
Benevolence Fund is to permit the members and friends of First Presbyterian
Church a means to anonymously and prudently assist qualified members of the
church community with short term emergency financial needs and for the
church to respond to such need.
DESCRIPTION
The Deacon Emergency Benevolence Fund is a
reserve fund of the Board of Deacons to which individuals and groups can
designate their contributions and which will only be used in the manner
described herein.
 | The balance and disbursements of the fund will be
reported to the Board of Deacons through the treasurer but the identity of
persons receiving disbursements will be kept in the confidential records
of the church Financial Secretary and reported to the Deacon Treasurer in
a cloaked format such that any multiple distributions to the same
individual are indicated by date. |
| Contributions to this fund are also a confidential
matter reported by the Financial Secretary on family giving statements or
by receipt to the donor unless given through memorials, by some other
reportable group of the church, or by a party outside of the church that
has not requested anonymity. |
| The congregation will be made aware of the existence
and management of this fund in writing upon approval of the Session. An
annual summary of activity will be included in the Deacon annual report.
Such summary will include total monetary contributions for the year, total
disbursed amount, and total number of persons served. These figures will
be supplied by the Financial Secretary. |
| Parties receiving benevolence funds will be
encouraged to make a future contribution back to the fund if they become
able. |
| Immediately upon approval of both the Board of
Deacons and the Session this policy will go into effect. Any member of
the church can request review of this policy by either group for revision
or compliance within one year of that date. |
ELIGIBILITY
1) Persons eligible for disbursement of
emergency benevolence funds are active members and friends of the
congregation, i.e., individuals who have practiced a consistent attendance
and participation in church programs over the prior six month period or who
have met this criterion in the last year but not in the last six months due
to illness, age, or disability.
2) Such persons will be assessed to determine that
they have first made efforts to access other sources of public or
private assistance available to them before consideration.
3) No individual will be eligible to receive more
than $750.00, when such funds are available, within a 12 month period
unless an equal portion has been donated back to the fund within that
time frame. The Financial Secretary will monitor that this criterion is
met.
4) Only the Moderator of the Board of Deacons, the
Pastor, or the Director of Outreach and Congregational Nurture may
substantiate eligibility in order to facilitate confidentiality.
5) Determination of eligibility and approval of
disbursement of an amount up to $200.00 may made by any one of these three
persons except when the applicant is a close friend or
related family member. In that event, the applicant must be directed to
submit their request to one of the other parties for consideration of
eligibility.
6) Determination of eligibility and approval of
disbursement of an amount greater than $200.00 must be made in
consultation with two of the three parties. Such consultation is
recommended for approval of lesser amounts but not required.
PROCEDURE
1.
Individuals who wish to request assistance from this fund must
approach one of the above named parties. Through discussion and completion
of the attached request form, the individual’s eligibility and approval will
be documented and submitted to the Financial Secretary for disbursement
and/or record keeping. Cash disbursements can generally be done by the
Financial Secretary Monday-Thursday. Larger requests will be processed by
check generally within 7 day.
2.
A signed receipt will be required for all cash disbursements.
3.
The guidelines of the policy will be made available to all applicants
during the eligibility interview and before any disbursement occurs. The
church office will keep a supply available in the Moderator’s mailbox. The
Financial Secretary will secure a supply of up to $200.00 cash on hand in
order to respond effectively to true emergencies.
Presented to the Board of
Deacons for discussion and revision on _10/19/05
Approved by the Board of
Deacons without revisions on _10/19/05
Presented to the Session for
discussion and revision on _10/26/05
Approved by the Session
(with revisions) on _10/26/05
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