Assurance For Tomorrow It happens because you say yes…

1

Radical Hospitality • 35 ethnic Montagnards attend non-

denominational Christian worship services at our Connections campus each week

• 170 homeless neighbors invited annually for a night’s lodging and fellowship

• 1000s come to eat pancakes, fish, Barbeque or shop consignment sales

• 1000s of people use the church each week for community gatherings

Passionate Worship • 400 area children and hundreds of

volunteers attend Vacation Bible School annually

• Over 600 people praise God in 4 unique weekly worship services in 2 locations

• 1,200 celebrate Christmas in one of 4 worship Christmas Eve services

• 1,100 attend Easter services with 75 children participating in CROSSings Easter service

2

Intentional Faith Development • 13 community groups • 250 children learn about God’s love at

preschool and after school • Over 250 adults meet weekly to deepen their

faith through Bible Study and small groups • 400 young people attend children and youth

programming each week Risk Taking Mission and Service

• 70 children, youth, and adults served on summer missions taking them across Mecklenburg County, to New York, and as far as Guatemala

• 600 pounds of produce provided annually to the Angels and Sparrows program

Extravagant Generosity • 250 people come weekly to share in the On

The Way dinner • 1000 bag lunches were prepared this summer

for hungry children • More than 1,400 cookies were made for the

Kairos Prison Ministry • $20,000 annually to provide our community

with support during extreme circumstances

Five Fruitful Practices By The Numbers…

Campaign at a Glance Types of congregational gifts:

• Operational Fund: primary fund of the Church used for day-to-day operating activities

-­‐ All monies, except those designated as Capital or Memorials flow through this fund

-­‐ Used to cover most expenses including salaries, benefits, utilities, general Church support, insurance, and ministries

• Time and Talents: the gifts of time and involvement that supplement Church employees and directly enables Assurance’s ability to Grow and Go in the community

• Capital Fund: fund used for the acquisition of and improvements to capital assets (i.e. land, buildings, and vehicles)

-­‐ Mortgage payments and property maintenance is paid out of this fund

2015 Operational Fund:

• Primary spending account for the Church which covers day-to-day maintenance and expenses to support facilities, equipment, staff, and services.

Operational Fund Budget for 2015 Goal: $700,000 11% increase over 2014

Salaries

UMC

Property

Children/Youth

Worship Programs

Administration

Other

1995: Chadwick UMC and St.

James UMC merge to form Assurance

1999: Assurance moved to current

Northlake Campus location

2005: Average Sunday

Attendance is 259

2006: 9:30am FUSION Modern

Worship is Introduced

2007: Education Wing opened to

support additional programming

2009: Average Sunday

Attendance Grows to Over 400

2015 Time and Talents: Active participation from the congregation is needed to support the programming and outreach that Assurance offers.

• Where is your passion? How can you make a difference in the life of the church as well as your own life?

• There are numerous existing opportunities as well as the opportunity to start something new.

Nov 2014 – Nov 2016 Capital budget*: Northlake campus:

• Flooring replacement

• Parking lot resurfacing

• Stage expansion

• Technology update

• Debt reduction to enable next development phase

Connections campus:

• Sanctuary conversion

• Signage installation

• Playground build

Other:

• 12-15 person passenger van purchase * Actual projects undertaken dependent upon pledges received.

“…if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second

mile. Give to everyone who begs

from you and do not refuse anyone

who wants to borrow from you”

Matthew 5:38-42

2011: Youth Cellar

Build Out Complete

2011: Resonate Service Begins

2012: Assurance becomes multi-site

2013: Connections

campus joins the Assurance ministry

2014: Average Sunday

attendance exceeds 600

2015 and

beyond:

Where will we go?

How many

will we serve?

Lorem Ipsum Dolor [Street Address] [City], [State] [Postal Code]

[Web Address]

1. When are responses due? The response period will begin on November 2 and end on November 16. We ask that you prayerfully consider making a commitment by that time.

2. Must I be a member to participate in the stewardship campaign? All regular attendees of Assurance are encouraged to respond regardless of your membership status.

3. What is the term of the Operating Fund commitment? Your operating commitment is for a period of one year beginning January 1, 2015 and ending December 31, 2015.

4. How much am I supposed to tithe? The Bible outlines tithing as 10% of your earnings. Some years you may be able to give more and some years you may need to give less. Please prayerfully consider what you can share with the church this year.

5. What is the commitment for the Capital Fund? The Capital commitment period begins November 2014 and goes through November 2016 (24 months). Your response should reflect your financial commitment over that time period.

6. What is debt reduction and why is it part of the capital campaign? Debt reduction includes minimum monthly loan payments and additional amounts to further reduce debt to make future capital expenditures possible.

7. What are the possible future capital expenditures beyond the current Capital Campaign? According to the Master Plan, Phase III and Phase IV are a Family Life Center and Sanctuary, though the Master Plan does not specify which building will come first.

8. To whom do I send or give my response card? You may seal your response card in an envelope and place it in the offering plate or give it to the campaign volunteer in the Welcome Center, you can also return it by mail or give it to Dawn Suthard, the Finance Administrator for Assurance. You can also complete an online response form, link can be found on the Gifts page of the website.

9. Who will see my response card? Your response is between you and God. However, the Assurance Financial Administrator will be primarily responsible for collecting cards and posting commitments in church records.

10.What is the preferred payment schedule and how should they be made? Most church expenses hit weekly or monthly and, ideally, contributions would follow suit. However, you should select a schedule that meets your personal needs (weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual contributions). You can offer your contributions during the Sunday services or go online to have them directly debited from your checking or savings account. Many people find that having small amounts regularly debited from their accounts is easier than contributing large amounts less frequently.

11. Can I give stock or plan giving in a trust or will? You can contact Bruce Berrier, Assurance’s Treasurer or Roger Gore, Finance Chair for information about how to give stock or plan giving through a trust or will.

12. Are there other types of financial funds not included in this campaign? Yes, there are three additional funds that are not included: • Ministry/Missions Fund: about $40K acquired through fundraising events and used by

multiple ministries for missions and outreach. • Memorials Fund: funds pledged in memory of loved ones to support the general

church or designated ministries. • Pastors’ Discretionary Fund: funds collected during special collections and used at

the Pastors’ discretion to assist families and individuals in extreme circumstances.

Frequently Asked Questions:

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