BCOC | Stewardship

We all have a money story, whether we recognize it or not. Perhaps we are living from a story of fear or shame. Or a story that the church is dying and no longer relevant. Or a story that our actions won’t have an impact. Or a story that we don’t have enough. Where might God be speaking a new narrative into the limited ones we have told ourselves?

Our stewardship theme this year invites us to dive deeply into a topic most of us find difficult discussing. To speak of money is to invite tension into the room. We so quickly want to avoid it, but it’s time we reframe this. Money and possessions are one of the most common topics in scripture, and Jesus talked about money more than faith and prayer. Our money story, therefore, is a spiritual story. Thinking about God’s money story should be liberating, inviting, and transformative. This stewardship season, we invite you to remember, release, reimagine, and restore your money stories so that we can write the story God is begging us to live into.

As you review the proposed 2025 budget, I invite you to consider how God’s money story has been told and retold here are Baptist Church of the Covenant. How have we been good stewards of God’s gifts? How has our money story pointed to God’s liberation and justice? What new chapters are waiting to be written and what would those chapters say?live into.

I also invite you to reflect on your personal money story. How have you used your money and resources to tell God’s story of mercy and love? How does your faith in Christ influence your feelings about money? What would it look like to transform your current stewardship practices into a fuller expression of who you are and what you believe? How do you want your money story to be told in the future?

No matter how your money story reads, know that you are an essential part of telling God’s story of hope and grace here at BCOC. We all have valuable gifts to give, whether those are money, time, service, or talents. You are a precious gift, too, just by being a unique and beloved character in God’s great story.

I hope your reflection of these stories leads you to make a pledge toward our 2025 budget. Your pledge helps us estimate our financial capacity to live out our hopes for next year and beyond. Every pledge impacts the good work we do and ensures that we live out God’s great story in our community for years to come.

In Faith,
Pastor Erica

$17,500

WORSHIP & MUSIC:

A STORY OF WONDER

Authentic worship is the center of our corporate expression of faith. Each Sunday we gather to offer God our gratitude, listen for God’s voice, wrestle with questions, seek God’s wisdom, receive Christ’s grace, and recommit ourselves to faithful action. Worship at BCOC is creative, meaningful, intentional, and inclusive. The Covenant Choir, Youth Choir, Children’s Choir, Preschool Choir, Covenant Ringers Handbell Choir, and guest instrumentalists help us experience God’s mystery, wonder, and joy. Our worship music and music education programs engage all ages and levels of musical experience. Our visual liturgy of banners, paraments, floral arrangements, and creative installations help bring God’s story to life.

$41,440

SPIRITUAL FORMATION:

A STORY OF discovery

Spiritual formation is a life-long process. We never stop growing in faith. God calls all ages, all abilities, and all perspectives into curious exploration, study, dialogue, and experiential learning. From nursery care to summer camps, from youth groups to adult Bible studies, our Spiritual Formation programs encourage all generations to think theologically, discern God’s wisdom, and discover how God’s story and our stories intertwine.

$17,500

CONGREGATIONAL LIFE & CARE:

A STORY OF Love

Being together in intergenerational community is vital to our wellbeing. Our souls are fed by conversations over cups of coffee and potluck casseroles. We grow in Christ’s body when we laugh, play, and talk. At BCOC, friendships are forged and nurtured by intentional, inclusive hospitality. Congregational life events such as picnics, group outings, and retreats connect us to each another and remind us that we are one in God’s Spirit.

$211,415

OPERATIONS:

A STORY OF COMMUNITY

Our properties and facilities help us live out the stories of BCOC’s mission, programs, and ministries. We do God’s work in the sacred space of our sanctuary, the welcoming space of our Fellowship Hall, the missional space of our Ministry Center, the peaceful space of our nursery, the joyful space of our children’s classrooms, and the functional space of our church offices. Your financial pledge will keep our properties, facilities, and offices well-tended, functioning, and safe.

$99,600

MINISTRY AND ADVOCACY:

A STORY OF HOPE
& JUSTICE

BCOC seeks to bring dignity and liberation to those who have been left in the margins because we believe their stories matter. We serve our neighbors through Common Table meals, authentic friendship, and the distribution of hygiene kits, clean clothes, and food pantry items. We advocate on state and national levels for changes in our laws to support the poor and hungry. BCOC widens our reach by partnering with many missions and ministry organizations including Bread for the World, Greater Birmingham Ministries, Alabama Arise, Family Promise, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Alabama, and Terra Nova Academy in Uganda. We also support the ministry of our sister church Shalom Baptist Church in Boca de Mariel, Cuba.

$555,395

LEADERSHIP:

A STORY OF CALLING

Our pastors and staff have been called to guide our ministry and help us fulfill our mission. Each staff member receives a salary and is offered benefits such as medical insurance, retirement, and professional development. When you give to BCOC, you support these dedicated individuals in their service to God and to the church.

1 Operations includes Office, Property, Council on Mission, and Communications.

2 Missions & Ministries amount is 11% of the total budget, but it is 12% of budgeted unrestricted contributions.

3 Community includes the Congregational Life, Special Events, and Deacons.

NEW TO PLEDGING OR GIVING?

People wonder how much they should pledge to the church. We recognize that there are several factors that go into this personal decision. Many people choose to pledge 10% of their income. This is known as a tithe. Some people pledge more than 10% in their financial abundance. Some people pledge less than 10% in their financial need. However much you decide to pledge, we ask that you give joyfully and consistently. No gift is too small, and any gift helps us reach our
goals of ministry.

MAKE A PLEDGE FOR 2025

An annual pledge is a personal commitment to generously give toward next year’s budget. Your written and shared pledge can be changed at any time throughout the year based on your financial circumstances. Your pledge helps our committees and staff ensure that our ministries can be appropriately funded in the upcoming year.

MONTHLY GIVING

Yearly
income

$20,000

$40,000

$60,000

$80,000

$100,000

$150,000

$200,000

12%

$200

$400

$600

$800

$1000

$1500

$2000

10%

$167

$333

$500

$667

$833

$1,250

$1,667

$150

$300

$450

$600

$750

$1,125

$1,500

$134

$267

$400

$533

$667

$1,000

$1,333

$117

$233

$350

$467

$583

$875

$1,167

$100

$200

$300

$400

$500

$750

$1,000

$84

$167

$250

$333

$417

$625

$833

ALREADY A CONSISTENT GIVER & FAITHFUL PLEDGER?

If you have pledged or given to BCOC in the past, thank you for your faithful generosity! We encourage you to continue your story of faithful giving. We invite you this year, only if you are able, to move up a step percentage in your 2025 pledge. For instance, if you pledged 5% of your income last year, would you consider giving 6% of your income in 2025? This increase in generous giving will help us meet the growing needs of our ministry.

give

HOW DO I MAKE A PLEDGE?

You may submit your pledge online. You may also fill out a pledge card, available in the narthex, and bring it with you to worship on Sunday November 24 or mail it to the church office.

make a pledge online

If you would like monies from your pledge be allocated differently to our Missions Partnerships and Ministries, visit this form.

HOW CAN I FULFILL MY PLEDGE?

Automatic Bill Pay Giving

Most banks and credit unions can handle recurring payments for you. You can set up payments online through the bank’s “Bill Pay” service. The church will receive a paper check by mail for the amount you designate.

Online Giving

Give through Realm. You can pay by ACH debit from your bank account, a debit card, or a credit card. Online giving gives you the option to schedule a one-time or recurring payment. This option requires the church to pay transaction fees, but you can choose to pay those fees yourself to make sure your gift has the biggest impact.

Personal Check

Place it in the offering plate during Sunday worship or mail it to the church office (2117 University Boulevard, Birmingham, AL 35233).

Cash

Place your cash contribution in an envelope with your name on it and drop it in the offering plate during Sunday worship.

Giving Generously
in Other Ways

If you would like to learn more about the Stock Gift Program, making a charitable contribution directly from an IRA, or include Baptist Church of the Covenant in your will, contact the church office for more information.