New E-mail List About Money

A new UUA e-mail list for electronic discussions about money is now in operation. This list is intended for church treasurers, finance chairs and anyone else willing to share ideas, ask questions or just listen in on matters of money. Topics will include annual canvasses, budgets, fundraising, etc. The volunteer list manager is Jon Durbin, a UU from Austin, TX, and president of the Southwest District. To subscribe, visit ww.uua.org/mailman/listinfo/skinner-l.

Handbook Guide Available

There is now a brief guide available to help lay leaders understand and use the Congregational Handbook. A copy of this guide has been mailed to all congregations.

How Your Church Can Benefit From Deferred Gifts

The UUA Office of Planned Giving helps congregations reap the benefits of deferred gifts. For a minimum gift of $5,000, individuals may join the UUA Pooled Income Fund or establish a Charitable Gift Annuity. The gift is held in trust and invested according to socially responsible guidelines. The gift generates quarterly payments to one or two people for the rest of their lives. Payments stop at their deaths, when the gift is released to the UU organization or organizations of the donor's choice. Donors may claim a charitable income tax deduction for a percentage of their contribution, depending on the ages of those who receive payments from the gift. Gifts of appreciated securities held more than 18 months result in significant capital gains tax savings. Contact the Planned Giving staff at 617-742-2100, extension 509, or by e-mail.

Web Page Will Sell UU-Related Products

Margy Levine Young, a member of the UUA Electronic Communications Committee, has finished the first draft of a web page of Unitarian Universalist-related products, including chalices, banners, mugs, jewelry and other products of interest to UU congregations and individuals. The page is at http://www.gurus.com/uuproducts. She has also included products that UU congregations, UUA-affiliated organizations and the UUA itself offers as fundraising projects. Margy reserves the right to include whatever products she sees fit. If you have a product that you'd like to see listed, write to Margy. Please include the name of the product and a description, pricing, availability, shipping costs, name of the organization, whether it's a fundraiser, how to order and Web url if any.

Young Adult Office

The Young Adult Ministries Office has a new address: Donna DiSciullo, Young Adult/Campus Ministry Director Young Adult/Campus Ministry Office Twenty Nassau Street, Suites 510-511 Princeton, NJ 08542 The office may be reached by telephone at 609-252-1412 or e-mail.

Three New Titles From Skinner House

The following new books from Skinner House are available through the UUA Bookstore:

Evening Tide, Meditations by Elizabeth Tarbox. The author examines the darker moments of life, listening to gay children voice their fears about coming out and saying goodbye to her dying father. She acknowledges the pain and despair of difficult times, but finds sacredness and hope in ordinary things, like the simple chore of chopping wood or the music of a pine forest fugue. # 5330, $7. (Currently out of print)

Our Chosen Faith, A Classic Introduction to Unitarian Universalism, is now available in Spanish: La Fe Que Hemos Escogido, Una Introduccion al Unitario Universalismo, by John Buehrens and Forrest Church; translated by Ervin Barrios. # 6201, $12.95.

Great Occasions: Readings for the Celebration of Birth, Coming of Age, Marriage, and Death, edited by Carl Seaburg. A well-loved favorite now back in print. A treasury of resources to honor the watershed stages of life. Also includes services for adoption, divorce and memorials. # 7105, $20. To order by credit card or to bill your congregation, call 800-215-9076 or send orders with a check or money order, including $3 handling, to UUA Bookstore, 25 Beacon St., Boston, MA 02108.

New Canvass Guide

A new canvass guide, Fundraising with a Vision, written by Ed Landreth and produced by the UUA's Department for Congregational, District and Extension Services, is now available to congregations in planning their annual canvasses. The wirebound workbook includes sample calendars, job descriptions, recruiting tips and a section called "Money and the Minister." The author is a Cambridge, MA, UU who is an independent consultant on church financial development and management, organization and board development and strategic planning. The canvass guide is available through the UUA Bookstore: #7250, $25. 800- 215-9076

UUA Tax Tips Include W-2 Forms For Most Ministers

In this tax season the UUA's Church Staff Finances director, the Rev. Ralph Mero, reminds congregations that ministers should have their compensation reported on W-2s and not Form 1099s. "If someone is a real minister of a parish church, he or she should have income reported on a W-2," Mero says. The IRS and professional tax consultants recommend W-2s for ministers. A 1099 may invite a tax audit because many ministers receive insurance and pension contributions which they would not if they were self-employed. The main exception to the W-2 recommendation is a part-time minister who has another job. Those individuals should get 1099s, Mero said. In addition, churches are not required to withhold income tax or Social Security for ministers, but they are for non-clergy staff, such as secretaries, custodians and even ministerial interns. The only people who are exempt are ordained, licensed or commissioned clergy. Ministers pay their own income tax because churches are tax-exempt. For more information on this topic and others like it there is a new UUA-sponsored e-mail list called UU-MONEY, which may be accessed by sending an e-mail message to listproc@uua.org with the message: subscribe UU-MONEY (followed by your name).

UUA Staff News:

The Rev. Makanah Morriss, UUA Director of Religious Education, will resign effective June 1 to do co-ministry with her husband, Bob, at a location not yet determined. The Rev. Dr. John H. Weston, minister since 1992 at All Souls UU Church, Kansas City, MO, has been named Ministerial Settlement Director of the UUA. He will begin work August 1. Nanette Sawyer, Extension Ministry Administrator, will work with Extension Ministry Director Margaret Beard. Nanette can be reached by email, as can Margaret (mbeard@uua.org). Church of the Larger Fellowship Senior Minister Scott Alexander is on sabbatical from March 1 to July 1 to work on special projects for the AIDS Interfaith National Network in Washington, D.C. The Rev. Amy Fisher will be covering Scott's ministerial responsibilities. Carla Kindt, Director of Building Programs, will join the Development Department on June 1 to become Director of Major Giving.

Warning Signals: Anemic Involvement

How many of these vignettes sound like your congregation?

• At your last annual meeting, 27 of your 181 adult members showed up. The budget and a proposal to hire a part-time bookkeeper couldn't be considered for lack of a quorum.
• There are 126 children and youth in your religious education program. Your congregation is considering going to two worship services and the religious education director is working on scenarios for how to manage RE. At the last parent/caregiver potluck, four people showed up by the 7 p.m. start time and two others wandered in late.
• Your board has nine trustees. Last month, five made the regular meeting. Two called the president to let her know they couldn't attend and the other two didn't even call.
• The treasurer's report shows a steady decline in pledge payments. The canvass co-chairs had a disagreement over whether to host a donor recognition event and only half of the members of the congregation were ever canvassed that year.
• The membership committee chairperson has been a member of the congregation for more than 40 years. She maintains membership records on her home computer, an old Commodore that was donated to the church. The board president received a notice from the UUA in March that, since the annual report on membership had not been received by the deadline, the congregation could not send delegates to General Assembly.