End of Year Appeals

I am starting to get the letters from seminaries & ministries asking for year end gifts - the first trickle of what I am sure will be a flood in the next few weeks approaching Jan. 1st.

The first one was pretty boring: 

It is a fact that the current economic crisis is the number one topic of conversation in the country today. Many of you have inquired with concern about how this financial ''tsunami'' is affecting Reformed Theological Seminary.

We are all concerned about the continuing deterioration of our economy. No organization, RTS included, is immune to the effects of the plummeting equity markets, tightening credit markets, rising unemployment, consumer uncertainty, and lack of confidence. 
In response, RTS has become more committed, determined, and disciplined...

The one I like the best was from Covenant College written by a professional journalist (Joel Belz of WORLD Magazine fame.) It started well and ended with a straight forward ap

peal to invest in the lives of students. Read this:

Yes, you've probably already got it figured out. Before you finish reading this letter I'm going to ask you for a year end gift to Covenant College this Christmas. I realize you'll probably be inclined to answer either of two ways:

1. You'll think how perilous the economy is, and what terrible shape the world finds itself in, and you'll decide that this  just isn't a good time for such a gift. Or,

2. You'll think how perilous the economy is, and what terrible shape the world finds itself in, and you'll decide that there couldn't possible be a better time for such a gift!

That got me thinking - "I am in the fund raising mode, should I ask for year end gifts to the church planting ministry? Will I miss out on a great opportunity?" I have heard that ministries like Focus on the Family get 80% or some such high figure for their operating budget in December and then coast until the Summer/Fall and struggle until the next December. 

I am praying for a support team that will be willing to support the planting of Advent Presbyterian over a four year period. By faith we are planning on a Fall of 2009 first worship. Until we have regular worship services the expenses continue. 

If you would like to give to a ministry - do it after you have tithed to your local church. If you would like to support the planting of a church that will in term support missions and other ministries in the future - pray about it.

Just today I found out a missionary family started supporting this ministry. What an encouragement that is for my heart. They are the second missionary family on my support team.

My goal is to raise $225,000 for the four years. That is not what it will cost but it  will supplement, especially in the beginning, until worshippers start tithing to Advent as their local church. As of today I have pledged just over $97,000. So I am not quite halfway.

By the way if you would like to be on my prayer team - email me at pastorkencross@gmail.com

If you think God would have you invest either with a year end gift or to pledge over whatever period here is how you do it:

There are four ways to give to the Advent Presbyterian Church Plant
partnering with MNA for cash

 management services:


1. You can make your donations by mail.

Mission to North America
1700 N. Brown Road Suite 101
Lawrenceville, GA 30043-8143

• Please make your checks payable to MNA
• In the memo line of your check specify Ken Cross (we prefer the name rather than an account number)
• 100% of your contribution goes directly to this project! There are no fees charged by MNA for these services.


2. You can make your donations online by credit card.

• Go to www.pca-mna.org
• Click the “Support MNA” tab (2nd from the right)
• Choose “Donate Now”
(Link: https://processor.pcanet.org/mna/donationsII/donation.cfm)
• From the ‘church planters’ drop down menu, select “Cross, Ken – Steele Creek (Charlotte), NC”
• Create a user account by entering your donor information, name, address, email address.


3. You can make your regular donations automatically via electronic funds transfer from your bank, or by a recurring credit card charge.

Please contact Michael Hutcheson at (678) 825-1223 or mhutcheson@pcanet.org.


4. You can donate stock by contacting Charles W. Schwab:

Stock Company: Charles Schwab & Associates
Main phone number: 1-800-435-4000
Account number: 16360225
DTC Code: 0164 Code 40

(DTC stands for Depository Trust Co., which is part of the Federal Reserve System of the Central Securities Exchange)

After each gift is received, a receipt will be sent to the donor.

If you have read this far you get a special prize - but you have to make a comment on this blog to receive it! Just put the word, "Joyful" in your comment - don't mention the prize or people will just read the comments and be clued in!