Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ gave us an awesome mission. Before ascending into Heaven, he said, “So wherever you go, make disciples of all nations: Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to do everything I have commanded you. And remember that I am always with you until the end of time” (Matthew 28:19, 20). 

Each day we are given an opportunity to further God’s kingdom through the use of our time, abilities and financial resources. As Christians, we are to manage every aspect of our lives faithfully, and to the glory of God. “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2).

You probably know that your church offerings enable us, for example, to pay our pastors, offset the costs of our Christian school, and maintain our church and grounds, while your tuition helps us pay our teachers, purchase books and supplies, and deliver an excellent Christian education to our youth.

However, there are many other ways you can put the talents and treasures God has given you to use in our church and school.

Why you might make a donation:

• If you’re looking for special ways to give to Holy Cross Lutheran Church and School
• If you would like the opportunity to help with a special need
• If you would like to help provide Holy Cross with a perpetual source of income
• If you would like to donate a gift that will not be used for regularly budgeted items for the church and school like routine bills or to augment monthly income

Ways to support Holy Cross Lutheran Church and School

• You can make a tax-deductible donation through Partners in Christ.
• You also can support Holy Cross through such gifts as:
• The Endowment Fund—This fund was created in 1989 for Holy Cross to provide a perpetual source of income for the congregation. Gifts to the Endowment Fund are often referred to as “gifts that keep on giving” because a gift to the Endowment Fund remains invested and only the earnings are distributed to special projects, such as home and foreign missions, physical plant improvements, and Holy Cross Lutheran School. Annually, the Endowment Fund Committee solicits suggestions from the various church boards and committees on how the earnings for the year are to be spent. After reviewing the requests, the Endowment Fund Committee presents the voters with a finalized spending request. For gifts of more than $250, we add a recognition plate will be added to the church plaque.
• Memorials—Memorials are often referred to as “one time gifts” because the congregation will receive and spend the full amount of the gift. Memorial gifts are either “designated” for a specific use, or “undesignated.” We use a designated memorial gift for a specific purpose, at the donor's direction. We use an undesignated gift at the discretion of the Church Council. Some of our memorial funds include:
• Holy Cross School Memorial Fund—Special gifts given to Holy Cross School are placed in this fund. The School Board and Church Council direct the use of these funds.
• Music Fund—The music fund helps the Holy Cross choir purchase of music, tune instruments, etc.
• Organ Fund—We will use the organ fund to offset costs for purchasing a new organ when we relocate. If, unexpectedly, we stay at our current facility, our 40-plus-year-old organ will need renovations.
• Relocation Fund—We established the Relocation Fund as a special capital campaign to help offset the costs of land and building associated with relocating.
• Transportation Fund—The transportation fund provides free taxi service to and from Holy Cross for those who would like to come to Holy Cross church services and events, but are unable to drive or find a ride.
• Undesignated Memorial Fund—Gifts given to Holy Cross that are not part of our general offering income, and are not designated to one of the funds above, are placed in the undesignated memorial fund. This is an important fund that is used by the Church Council to pay for unexpected or unbudgeted needs and is used somewhat regularly. This fund is also used to pay our visitation pastor for his services to our home-bound members.

In addition to gifts of cash, you can make memorial and endowment gifts in the following ways:

• Gifts of appreciated property, such as stock, real estate, property, artwork, antiques, etc.—These can be wonderful ways to give. When you give an asset like this to a charity, there may be significant tax benefits if the asset has appreciated in value.
• Gifts of life insurance—Purchasing a new life insurance policy and gifting it to a charitable organization, or gifting a small, paid up, existing life insurance policy to a charitable organization may have a number of benefits.  
• Beneficiary designations—Many Lutherans have remembered to leave a portion of their estate to continue the Lord’s work through their will or trust documents. Beneficiary designations can also be made on qualified investments like 401K’s, IRA’s, or life insurance or annuity policies. Designating a portion to a charitable organization will help leave a legacy to charities that are important to you.
  

You also can make support the school in ways that benefit you:

• You can purchase gift cards from national and local retailers via our Scrip program. You you can use these gift cards just like cash—and the best part is that each business donates a percentage of the purchase back to Holy Cross.
• You can donate your time and talents by choosing from among many volunteer opportunities in our school.
• You can glorify God using the talents He has given you by volunteering for a church worship group or governance committee.
  

For more information on any of these opportunities, E-mail Jenny Patten, school/financial secretary, at jpatten@holycrossmadison.org, or call (608) 249-3101.