Thank you for supporting the Roxbury Congregational Church. Your gifts make a tremendous difference in the lives of our Church and community, and help ensure that the Church will continue to offer a main-line Protestant Ministry in Roxbury.

Our supporters give out of their desire to strengthen the Church, their wish to give something back to the community, and their commitment to ensuring that future congregation members and their children will benefit from the same opportunities past generations enjoyed.

How do you relate to money? Jesus spoke more about money than most everything else in the gospels.(Most was about the Kingdom of God) He talked about it so much because he knew how money can compete for our primary allegiance to God.

One helpful resource is to complete and contemplate your answers to a Money Autobiography. To help you get started download and print this document and complete it. Your answers will help you, we are sure.

Our church is embracing technology and adopting a giving option that may be more convenient for many of our parishioners – the Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Program. It will work in the same manner as the programs offered by local gas and electric and many insurance and mortgage companies.

You choose a donation frequency: weekly, semimonthly, or monthly. Indicate the amount of the contribution you wish to make. Then complete the remainder of the Authorization Form, mail it to the church office or drop it in the offering and we will arrange for your savings or checking account to be debited as you select. All done confidentially.

Click here to get a copy of the form

Important Benefits of EFT

The Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) program yields very significant benefits for our church and makes life easier for you:

¨ The satisfaction of giving to God first

¨ Less work for church volunteers in processing the collections

¨ A more predictable income flow for better planning

¨ Improved cash management with less labor

¨ Easier personal budgeting

Traditional Choices Remain

All registered parishioners will continue to receive envelopes, including envelopes for special collections for a variety of needs. Church collections will be taken each week as usual. EFT participants are asked to mark their envelopes “EFT” and place them in the collection basket.

If you do not currently use envelopes, please consider participating in either our envelope program or the EFT program. Our parish needs your consistent support.

In addition to yearly financial pledges for operating expenses, the Church solicits and receives capital donations through wills and trusts. Our Church Staff are available to speak to you about how you can financially help the church in the future.

A retired Booth Free School teacher and Principal, Mrs. Smith died January 1, 2000. She left a sum of money to the endowment fund to be used for the purposes of the church. Her gift provided stability and a foundation for the church's endowment fund. For this we are grateful.

Ms. Johnson lived on Old Roxbury Road and found our congregation a welcoming place. During the later months of her life, Ruth would listen in the Sunday Worship service on the cell phone. Ruth felt strongly that her estate would support community institutions to the fullest extent possible. The Ruth Johnson estate provided funding for the Endowment Fund as well as the Church's Capital Reserve Fund and a mission tithe of 10% of the gross amount. For her insight and devotion we are grateful and give thanks to God.

The most popular way of giving a deferred gift is to name The Roxbury Congregational Church in your Will.

*an outright gift; *a percentage of your estate;* the remainder of your estate after making specific gifts to family and friends.

There are considerable tax advantages for your estate and your heirs. Charitable gifts are 100% deductible from your taxable estate.

There are many forms that your bequeathed gift to The Roxbury Congregational Church may take:

* Cash* Stocks and Bonds* IRAs and pension plan assets (some considerable tax advantages to your estate and heirs) * Closely held stock* Real estate* Life Insurance * Real Estate

The Trustees of the church have set as policy that any undesignated bequest is to handled as such: 10% of the gross total is to be set aside as a "mission project tithe" and the remainder to be split 50/50 between the church's Endowment Fund and the Capital Reserve Fund.

Residuary bequest: This allows loved ones to be taken care of first, with residuary funds designated for The Roxbury Congregational Church.

An example of the wording for this type of bequest is, "I hereby give, devise and bequeath to The Roxbury Congregational Church, Inc. 24 Church Street, Roxbury, Connecticut 06783-1703, all (or a percentage of) the rest and remainder of my estate after all of the above bequests have been made to be used in support of its mission and ministry."

Simple bequest: This format leaves a specific dollar amount or percentage of one's estate.

A sample wording for this is, "I hereby give, devise, and bequeath to The Roxbury Congregational Church, Inc. of 24 Church Street, Roxbury, Connecticut 06783-1703, the sum of $___ (or___% of my estate) (or real estate) to be used in support of its mission and ministry."

Contingent bequest: This arrangement is for those whose first choice is to have their estate inherited by living relatives. If, however, those relatives predecease the donor, The Roxbury Congregational Church would inherit the estate.

The Roxbury Congregational Church is a non-profit organization. We recommend you consult your own independent legal counsel for advice in establishing an estate plan that meets your wishes and provides for your loved ones, while also making a gift to The Roxbury Congregational Church.

There are also gifts that you can give today and receive income and tax benefits for life.

The Charitable Gift Annuity is a gift that allows you to fulfill your charitable intentions toward The Roxbury Congregational Church while also providing you with a fixed income for life. There are certain tax advantages, particularly when the gift is funded with appreciated stock. The Charitable Gift Annuity is most beneficial to individuals or couples (partners or friends) who are 65 or over. The older you are the higher the rate of income you will receive.

1. Mr. Thomas Jefferson, aged 81, established a $50,000 charitable gift annuity with The Roxbury Congregational Church. Mr. Jefferson receives a fixed percentage rate of 8.5% and a quarterly income of $1,062.50 for the rest of his life. His charitable deduction for this gift, in the year it was made, is $23,133.50. Mr. Jefferson is the sole beneficiary of this life income gift.

2. Mr. and Mrs. John Adams, aged 89 and 72, established a two-life charitable gift annuity of $30,000 with The Roxbury Congregational Church. They receive a fixed percentage rate of 6.7% and income of $502.50 at the end of each quarter, for the rest of their lives. Their charitable deduction for this gift is $10,485.90 during the year it was made. When either John or Abigail dies, the surviving spouse will continue to receive this life income from The Roxbury Congregational Church. This is one way of receiving an income for life while also providing for a loved-one after your death, and support The Roxbury Congregational Church.

The Roxbury Congregational Church follows the rates set by the American Council on Gift Annuities.

To learn more, simply contact the Church Office at The Roxbury Congregational Church. Once we know your age and the size of the gift you wish to make, and whether it will be cash or appreciated stock, we can prepare a tailor-made illustration for you. It will tell you:

* How much income you will receive quarterly for the rest of your life.* How much your tax charitable deduction will be in the year the gift is made * How much of your quarterly income will be tax-free* How your gift annuity will benefit The Roxbury Congregational Church.

The United Church Foundations Pooled Income Fund is an investment tool that combines the deferred gifts of many donors and pays the individual beneficiaries their proportionate share of all the income earned. Contact the Planned Giving Chairman at The Roxbury Congregational Church to discuss current rates and the best life income gift for you.

A Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) can be established with cash or appreciated assets to provide you or a nominated beneficiary with income for life. At the end of the CRT's term, the remainder portion is transferred to The Roxbury Congregational Church. You select the income calculation method, either as a fixed annuity trust or as an unitrust that fluctuates with the value of the CRT's assets.

You may designate The Roxbury Congregational Church as a beneficiary of your retirement plan, IRA, 401(k), 403(b), Keogh, or other qualified plans.

A gift of life insurance to The Roxbury Congregational Church can give you a significant year-end charitable deduction. You may purchase a new policy or donate a policy that you currently own but no longer require. Designating The Roxbury Congregational Church as both the policy owner and beneficiary will qualify you for that deduction. There are also estate tax savings. This provides The Roxbury Congregational Church with a significant gift with a low cost to you.

Charitable Lead Trusts provide income to The Roxbury Congregational Church for a specific period of time. At the end of that time, the assets held in the trust are distributed to you or to your beneficiaries. This trust can result in significant estate tax savings.

Make a gift of real estate such as a private residence, farm or apartment complex to The Roxbury Congregational Church while retaining the right to live in and use the property. Among several advantages of this type of gift are generous income tax deductions.

Two Options for Today's Parishioners:

1. Electronic Funds Transfer Program

2. Traditional - Church Envelope or Offering Plate donation

Electronic Funds Transfer: A New Way to Give

Traditional Choices Remain