Living is Giving was established by the Uniting Church to allow Congregations to feel part of and financially support their wider church and its activities. It redistributes the money which is received from Congregations to fund various projects of the Church. These projects are detailed in the booklets “Living is Giving Project Book” and “Strength in Unity” which have been distributed to all Congregations. These booklets detail financial information about how the Church receives its income, and also how it reallocates it.

As members of the Uniting Church, individually and collectively, we serve and witness as the body of Christ. Furthermore the Basis of Union, the foundation for the continuing work of the Church, calls us all to be a “fellowship of reconciliation, a body within which the diversity of gifts of its members are used for the building up of the whole, an instrument through which Christ may work and bear witness to himself”.

Living is Gving, put simply, offers all members of the Uniting Church, through their Congregation, the opportunity to share in the resourcing of the Church’s diverse ministries. If you want to find out about some of these ministries there are links to many of them through the various Boards of the NSW Synod, and some may also request a copy of the “Living is Giving” and Strength in unity” booklet by sending an email to us at kegank@nsw.uca.org.au.

For more information on how you can make your payment and how your payments are processed contact Susan Brady on 8267 4409 or susanb@nsw.uca.org.au.
 

How can you pay?

These can be handled in a variety of ways:

1. Direct Debit of your Bank (UFS) account – By making the arrangements with Uniting Resources, your contribution will be directed to the selected account automatically each month or quarter, by debiting your designated Bank (UFS) account.
   
   
2. By cheque (monthly) – Your cheque should be sent with the appropriate Yellow Mission & Service/Ministers Support Fund Form, no later than the 15^th of the month.
   

Additional contributions (such as personal collections, or other funds raised) may be given to either Mission & Service or Living is Giving Projects. Please send this cheque to Uniting Resources clearly stating where funds are to be allocated.
 

Giving Direct

We live in a society that relies less and less on having “cash in hand”. Many of our major financial transactions are taken care of through periodic payments, direct debiting or electronic funds transfer. To make Treasurers work easier and fast track the processing of your financial contributions we encourage you to consider periodical payment authorities.

Giving Direct is a process which makes your periodic giving to the Church easier. It’s principally aimed at individual Congregation members with their offertories to their Congregation, again by means of a periodical authority instead of “cash in the pocket”. Research shows that by encouraging our members to give by this method that Congregation income can increase by as much as 60% per annum. Financial Management Services assists in this by distributing the necessary forms, and inputting the information into the Accounting and Banking Systems,

FMS is further responsible for:

1. Set up and maintenance of accounting file details,
2. The periodical debit of participants bank accounts monthly,
3. Billing Congregations for their subscription and yearly fees,
4. Liaising with participants when accounts go into default,
5. Provide reports to other boards with details of participants donating to Board Projects.
   

For more information regarding how Direct Giving works, or to request an information pack, visit http://missionfinance.nsw.uca.org.au/givingdirect or contact the Board of Mission.

To download the direct debit request form 10  go to : http://www.unitingfinancial.com.au/pages/content.asp?plid=29