How You Can Faithfully Support the Ministry of CCG

Giving of our tithes and offerings is one of the ways that God allows us to support his ongoing work here on earth as well as honor him by acknowledging the source of our material resources. As a church, since we do not have alternative sources of income, we are fully dependent on those that support, participate with and utilize the various ministries and services of the church to faithfully provide the funds required for it to operate effectively. It is easy to sometimes think that the share that one is able to give is insignificant or unimportant relative to an annual budget of over $2,000,000 but that is not God's perspective. Giving from an appreciative heart is what God wants, no matter the size of the gift.

To provide a better understanding of how your contribution fits into the bigger picture we thought that it might be useful to review the ways that you can give to CCG. Historically the Board has designated three specific funds for which you may designate or divide your contribution; the General Fund, the Missions Fund, or the Building Fund. This can be accomplished by writing the fund name and the amount or amounts on the memo line of the check. Your quarterly giving statement will then reflect the designations and the total. Following is a brief description of each fund and what it is used for.

The General Fund is the fund that supports all of the ongoing operations and ministries of the church. This includes; staff salaries and benefits, the cost to maintain, insure, secure and heat and cool over 162,000 square feet of building facilities on over 42 acres of land, the cost of furnishing the building, the cost of technology and other audio/visual equipment and the programming cost of 8 -10 specific ministry areas. Each summer a detail budget is prepared by the staff and approved by the Board of Elders to support the operations and programming for the new church year that begins each September. Your contributions to this account are critical for the church to be able to operate and minister at its most effective level.

The Missions Fund supports its own annual budget that is presented each fall at the Missions Conference. The annual budget includes a variety of regular support for missionaries and ministries both at home and abroad. The Missions Fund also support a variety of special missions projects, provides mission trip scholarships, and funds the Good Samaritan Fund that provides assistance to local members and families in times of special need.

The Building Fund is currently being used to pay down the remaining indebtedness on the Gathering Place. The Building Fund is also used from time to time to support the finances associated with major building projects. Such projects are declared and implemented by the Board of Elders.

Specially Designated Projects - From time to time, special needs or projects come to the attention of the staff or Board. Past examples would be in the form of Hurricane relief for Katrina victims or Tsunami relief for Southeast Asia. Any consideration for specific items outside the approved budget must be considered carefully for alignment with CCG's direction. Once approved, contributions above and beyond a contributors regular giving can be designated for that specific purpose. All contributions marked for the specially designated project go directly for that purpose.

We trust that you will prayerfully consider how you can both honor God and support His church through your continued faithful giving.