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Online Program Brings Opportunity for Ministry Funds

Local Churches and UM Organizations Can Increase Ministry Funds by Shopping Online at UMCMarket.org

GCFA, working with Zebraplace and Foundation Automation, LLC has developed a free, online service that affords the opportunity for United Methodist church members to shop online and make a donation to the local church. Through the Office of Corporate Partnership, Bobby Lee Smith and the GCFA vetting team have worked to develop a computer app and online program that is simple, easy, and free to users. Zebraplace and Foundation Automation have been vetted by GCFA. The new, innovative service combines the growing trend of online shopping with church members' desires to increase funding for ministries of the local church.

To participate in the program, online shoppers will log into www.UMCMarket.org, register, and select the church or other United Methodist organization they want their donations to go to and then continue from the UMCMarket.org website to shop at hundreds of well-known retailers. The retailers will donate a portion of the total sale to the organization chosen. Churches will receive a check in the mail from Zebraplace once the total of percentages donated reaches $100. It's that simple!

Bobby Lee Smith, Manager of Corporate Partnership for GCFA said, "We are pleased to announce the program to benefit the ministries of local churches and other UM entities. The no-cost online service will increase monies available for ministry for any local United Methodist church and many other United Methodist organizations. Zebraplace and Foundation Automation are providing great customer service and follow up when needed. United Methodists can be assured that the service is secure and designed specifically for the ministries of The United Methodist Church."

You can read the complete press release about UMCMarket at this link. Resources are available for bulletin inserts and other announcement materials. For more information, contact Bobby Lee Smith, blsmith@gcfa.org, or Geir Thomas Kristiansen, geir@umcmarket.org.

 

 

What's New

GCFA Responds to Request from 2012 General Conference

By action of the 2012 General Conference, GCFA is mandated to provide a report of the names of consultants used by bodies of The United Methodist Church which are amenable to the Connectional Table, as well as the Council of Bishops. GCFA Report #11, section 8, adopted by the 2012 General Conference states: "As part of its oversight function, GCFA shall prepare and make available an annual listing of all consulting contracts entered into by agencies and organizations amendable to the Connectional Table. This shall also include the Council of Bishops. This listing shall be published by March 1 of each year and include contracts in place during the preceding calendar year. The list shall include the name of the individual or corporate entity, address, length and purpose of the contract and the amount of money paid for the contractor." The reports can be viewed at this link.

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IRS Increases Mileage Rate to 56.5 Cents per Mile

WASHINGTON —

The IRS has announced that the business standard mileage rate for transportation expenses paid or incurred beginning January 1, 2013, will be 56.5 cents per mile, up one penny from the rate in effect during 2012 [Notice 2012-72, released 11-21-12; www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-12-72.pdf].

The mileage rate may be used to compute the amount to reimburse employees who are using their own cars for business purposes. It may also be used by employers that elect to use the "cents-per-mile" valuation method for purposes of determining the amount that needs to be imputed to an employee's income for personal use of certain company-owned or leased nonluxury vehicles (see The Payroll Source®, p. 3-22).

In addition, the 2013 standard rate for miles driven for medical or moving purposes will increase to 24 cents per mile, up from the 23 cents-per-mile rate in effect during 2012.

Finally, the standard mileage rate for operating a passenger car for charitable purposes, which is set by law, will stay at 14 cents per mile in 2013.

Rev. Dec., 2012

 

What's Available on the GCFA Website:

  • The 2008 General Minutes is now available to order. Click here for details.
  • All resources, forms, and reports – many of which have been available as spreadsheets or PDF documents – are available by clicking FORMS & RESOURCES on the navigation bar above.
  • The QUICK SEARCH area should provide you with the most frequently requested documents and services.
  • DONATE NOW will take you to special offerings. You can also access The Advance. Other funds will be added periodically.
  • You have the capability to print the page by using the PRINT-FRIENDLY VERSION option on each page of the site. Another new feature allows you to translate pages by selecting the language you desire. This will affect the pages, not the documents contained within. To revert back to English, visit the Google toolbar that pops up when you translate the document, and press SHOW ORIGINAL.
  • If you have linked www.gcfa.org from your site, please make the necessary updates to assure you’re linking to the most recent version of the site.

How Do I...

  • Make an online donation to a specific fund? From the DONATE NOW button, you will be directed to the online donation page. The link to “Donate Now” is also in the QUICK SEARCH box.
  • Find the monthly Financial Commitment Report? Click to FORMS/RESOURCES > REPORTS.
  • Locate the Group Ruling Request Form? Go to QUICK SEARCH on the right of this page, type in GROUP RULING in the Search criteria box, or go to FORMS/RESOURCES on the navigation bar.
  • Find the date for a meeting? From the navigation bar click on UM CALENDAR. Click on CHURCH CALENDAR. Fill in as much information as you have about the meeting, just as you would on the previous GCFA site. Press SUBMIT to get your search results.
  • Locate the phone number for a staff member? Locate ABOUT at the top of the home page. Scroll to WHO WE ARE. You will find a link for Board Members and a Directory of key staff members.