gototopgototop
  Grace Baptist Church of Woodbridge VA  
Saturday Night | Hispanic Ministry | Registration | Contact Us

Resources
Ministry Call

We are not currently seeking applicants at this time.

.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Giving

Grace Charitable Contributions

How can I donate to the church?  There are several ways to give at Grace:
  • Cash or Check - this can be placed in the offering "chest" on Saturday evening or the offering plate during Sunday morning services.  Upon request, the church provides offering envelopes.  These are assigned to the donor by number and are used to ensure accurate posting of the donated funds.  
  • Bill Pay - Another option available for anyone whose financial institution offers online bill payment options.  Just follow the directions for your bank or credit union to create Grace Baptist Church as a Payee at 14242 Spriggs Road, Woodbridge, VA, 22193 and choose to make a weekly, monthly, or one time contribution.  Please insure that you designate the use of funds [see below for question on designated giving] in the Memo Line. 
There are some questions that come up every year and we hope this FAQ sheet will be helpful to you when deciding how and when you are able to make a donation to Grace Baptist Church and if it is considered Tax Deductible.

1.       If I make a contribution in early January, can I claim it on the previous year taxes?  No.  Charitable contributions must be claimed in the year in which they are received.

2.       If I mail my contribution in December  of this year, but it doesn’t reach the church until January of next year, for which tax year can it be claimed?  On the return for this year.  A check that is mailed to a charity is deductible in the year the check is mailed (and postmarked), even if it is received early in the next year.

3.       Can I deduct the value of volunteer work I did for the church?  No.  The value of personal services is never deductible as a charitable contribution.  However, unreimbursed expenses you incurred in performing services on behalf of a church or other charity may be.  For example,  2009 as well as in 2010 you can use a “standard mileage rate” of 14 cents to compute a deduction for any miles you drive in performing services for your church.  Be sure to maintain accurate records.

4.       Retreats such as Journey, Guys & Girls Retreat, Women of Grace Spring Retreat- are the payments I make to attend the retreat deductible? No, assuming you received benefits (lodging, instructions, materials) worth the cost of the retreat or more.  Charitable contributions generally are deductible only to the extent they exceed the value of any premium or benefit received by the donor in return for the contribution.

5.       Is there any limit to the amount of my contributions I can deduct on my taxes? Yes.  A contribution ordinarily cannot exceed 50% of a donors adjusted gross income (a 30% rule applies in some cases).  Donors who exceed these limits may be able to “carry over” their excess contribution and deduct in future years.

6.       I designated my contribution to the church Benevolence Fund.  Is it deductible?  That depends. “Designated contributions” are those made to a church for a specified purpose.  If the purpose is an approved project or program of the church, you can deduct the contribution (if you claim itemized deductions on Schedule A).   For FY 2010 Benevolence is an approved designated fund.

7.       Which church funds can I designate contributions to in 2010?  There are currently 4 church funds to designate your contributions to.  They are: General Budget, IAP (Imagine A Place building fund), Grace Missions and Benevolence. 

****Please note, if there are any discrepancies in your annual statement, please contact Lisa Glidwell (Grace Baptist Church Financial Secretary) at 703-670-5032 or email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  Any correction requests must be reported to the Financial Secretary no later than April 15th of the current year for the donations & contributions made from 1 January thru 31 December of the previous year being filed for.  After April 15th, no further adjustments can be made for the previous or subsequent years.****

·  Reference List:

Hammar, Richard. (2009, December). Church Law & Tax Report: Your Charitable Contributions-7 Things Every Church Member Needs to Know. Published by Christianity Today International.

 
 
Commissioning at Grace
At Grace Baptist, we see our purpose as a church to help fulfill the Great Commission.  We believe God uses us to do this as we seek to Transform, Equip and Send those to who we minister and serve.  Because our church has many m ilitary and government families who are transferred to our area for only a few years, we want to celebrate sending them out to their new assignments and other who leave to new locations.  Once way we do this is with a "Commissioning" to send them out for ministry and service.  At the Commissioning Cerenomy, we present coins like these:
 
 

 
 
and we use these words to recognize and commission our departing families:
 

From earliest church history, servants have been “commissioned” for ministry. This charge gave them authority to act for another.  Jesus commissioned His disciples with these words:  “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

 

In the United States Military, “commissioning” is the act of placing an officer or a warship into active duty.  We use this commissioning ceremony to mark the charge of a servant of Christ with the mission of sharing God’s grace apart from Grace Baptist Church and continuing in service to Christ elsewhere.

 

Please accept these coins as tokens of our appreciation for your service here at Grace and our charge for you to step out in faith all the days of your life wherever God takes you, always remembering 2 Peter 3:18 “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ”.