This week you may notice a green envelope in your offering box.  It’s labeled “Offering for Denominational Assessment.”  Did you know that each church in our denomination, the Reformed Church in America (RCA), is assessed a fee of $94.00 per member per year?

These funds are used at the General (national) Synod, Albany Synod, and Schenectady Classis levels for RCA ministries in the USA and around the world, for student scholarships, staff stipends, grants for churches, Camp Fowler and a variety of other purposes that benefit many.

A “Member” is someone who has joined our church through profession of faith during confirmation or review by the church elders, or by letter of transfer from another church.  Each year, our Elders review the membership rolls to determine an accurate count of our members, inactive members, and adherents.  These numbers are submitted to the Synod Office each February in the Annual Consistorial Report, and determine our church assessment level for the following year.  Whether or not our members submit their assessment payments, our church is obligated to cover these fees.  If you are unsure of your status or the status of others in your family, you can check with the church office.

By submitting your “green envelopes” to cover the denominational assessments for each member in your household, you help to ensure that the church operating budget can be used for our programs, such as Christian Education, Mission & Service, Music, Parish Life, Property, Congregational Care, etc., instead of covering the shortfalls in Assessment contributions.  Your contributions can be paid in annual increments, or divided into quarterly payaments.  Thank you!!