2021 Year-End Benevolence Processing

Now that 2021 has come to an end, I want to encourage you to remit any amount remaining in your church’s Shared Mission pledge, Per Capita, or other benevolence payments for 2021. The General Assembly is allowing us a little extra time to submit payments for this fiscal year, so please forward all remaining 2021 contributions to the Presbytery office by this Friday, January 14, and those contributions will be included in the 2021 records.

2022 Important Tax Filing Dates

The folks at Church Law & Tax have compiled a comprehensive list of important tax dates, primarily those happening this month. Be sure to take a look.

2022 Per Capita

The 2022 Per Capita rate is $30.05 per member, according to the church’s membership in the most recently file statistical report. The 2022 Per Capita was approved at the August 2021 presbytery meeting. With the total rate at $30.05 per member, the Presbytery of West Virginia will keep $18.67, sending $8.98 and $2.40 to the General Assembly and Synod of the Trinity, respectively.

Helping us understand the importance of Per Capita to our connectional church is this excellent article, titled (coincidentally enough) “Understanding Per Capita,” in a recent issue of Presbyterians Today.

2022 Shared Mission Pledge Request

The 2022 Shared Mission pledge request and Per Capita notice letter were mailed to the treasurer, Clerk of Session, and pastoral leader of each church in November. Please return the pledge card to this office at your earliest convenience.

We encourage each Session to thoughtfully consider our request. The information provided when a church returns their pledge card, no matter the response, is essential to our effective management of the presbytery’s financial resources. So, we urge treasurers, Clerks of Session, and pastoral leaders to make sure that their church has returned their pledge card to this office by January 31.

If you have any questions about mission pledge, Per Capita, or other benevolences, please let us know (304-744-7634, treasurer@wvpresbytery.org).

2022 Benevolence Remittance Forms

2022 Benevolence Remittance forms are now available on the Presbytery’s website. The forms are on the Documents page, in the Financial Documents section. We’ve also linked a sample here.

News from the Board of Pensions

1. Now is the time for employers to review and update salaries in Benefits Connect (and for participants to check that their salary and benefits information is correct!). At the start of each new year, employers are encouraged to review and update or confirm effective salary for all members. Effective salary determines dues for Pastor’s Participation and Minister’s Choice, deductible and out-of-pocket maximum amounts in the PPO, death and disability benefits, and pension credits for the Defined Benefit Pension Plan.

2. The BOP has released information for the 2022 Assistance Program, which has resources available for ministers, lay members, and retirees. Click here for more information on the program.

3. Beginning April 1, the BOP will provide a new service to Medical Plan participants, partnering with Quantum Health to provide care coordinators who will help identify healthcare needs, resolve issues, and provide personalized support. This new feature will be available to members and their families with PPO, EPO, or HDHP coverage. Read more here.

4. Employees enrolled in the Medical Plan did not receive new medical or prescription drug ID cards in December unless they newly elected coverage, changed options, or added eligible family members effective January 1. Otherwise, they should keep using their current cards. Note: all members enrolled in GeoBlue should have received two new cards for 2022: a Bupa card to use outside the country and a GeoBlue card to use when in the United States.

That Time of Year

It’s beginning to look a lot like…time to begin thinking about/working on the new year’s budget. To help with this, we have a couple of resources available to help with your budget development process. First is an article for Church Law & Tax titled “Tips for a More Effective Church Budgeting Process.” It contains key points to remember to help your church have a more successful process and an effective budget that supports your church’s goals. Second is information on creating a narrative budget document. Instead of presenting a budget that has columns, numbers, and a list of line items, a narrative budget tells a story of how the various components of the budget contribute the congregation’s missions and ministries. Please let me know if you would like either or both of these resources.

This time of year, or anytime for that matter, is a good time to review your church’s insurance coverage. You should speak with your insurance agent and ask for a meeting to review the church’s current coverage. Church Law & Tax (CLT) has some helpful guidance for reviewing and/or changing the church’s insurance coverage. Another resource is CLT Senior Editor Richard Hammer’s article on the types of coverage he considers essential for all churches.

If the church’s current insurance provider is not a company that specializes in church insurance (UCC Insurance Board, Brotherhood Mutual, Church Mutual, etc.), I recommend you check with one of these companies. My experience has been that they can provide better coverage, usually at less cost. If interested, I have contact information for representatives of the three listed above.

Year-end checklist

Now that 2021 has passed, it is time for church treasurers to work on closing out 2021 records and preparing for 2022. We should take a moment to make sure all our ducks are in a row and everything is ready for the new year, such as designating the housing allowance for our minister for the upcoming year, reviewing employee W-4s, and making sure that all revenue and expenses are accounted for prior to closing the books.  To help with this, the resource website Free Church Accounting has a helpful checklist.

2022 Special Offerings Calendar

Here is this year’s calendar for the four churchwide Special Offerings of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING: March 2 to April 17

PENTECOST: April 18 to June 5

PEACE & GLOBAL WITNESS: Sept. 4 to Oct. 2

CHRISTMAS JOY: Nov. 27 to Dec. 18

NOTE: Donations to these offerings are accepted at any time. The dates above are for times of special emphasis on the offerings. Click here for more information or to order resources, or call the PC(USA) Store at 800-533-4371.