Benevolence Board
When it comes to doing ministry on behalf of the less fortunate, Mayflower has developed a unique, and highly successful means of distributing money to the best charitable organizations both locally, nationally, and internationally. A Benevolence Board comprised of nine members oversees the distribution of tens of thousands of dollars for benevolence purposes. In the most recent calendar year, Mayflower distributed nearly $70,000 to help the poor, support church missions, and provide emergency assistance to individuals in crisis.
Members are allowed to designate a portion of their church pledge for benevolence purposes, and that money is set aside, and protected--to be spent exclusively for benevolence purposes. What we have discovered is that people give more money for such purposes when they know that the money cannot be spent for other purposes. The congregation then receives a full accounting of the way in which their benevolence funds are spent.
20% of our funds go to the benevolence projects of the Kansas/Oklahoma Conference of the United Church of Christ, and the remaining 80% are used for charitable contributions, and for discretionary spending based on priority needs. When Oklahoma City experienced the worse act of domestic terrorism in US history (the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in 1995), the Benevolence Board received funds from all over the country, which were expended on behalf of victims and victim's families. When the most destructive tornado in US history struck the city in May of 1999, the Benevolence Board again coordinated the expenditure of money which came from churches, and individuals all over the country.
The Benevolence Board, and its manner of operation is at the heart of what Mayflower believes the church should be all about. Instead of building a larger edifice with the fruits of our success, Mayflower has made a conscious decision to spend more and more of its money helping the poor. Operating from a debt-free facility, our growth in membership has made it possible to increase benevolence spending from a little over $6,000 in 1985, to nearly $70,000 in 1999. Our ultimate objective is to spend at least 25% of our total operating budget for benevolence purposes. This, we think, is the model for the church in the new millennium. To apply for a grant please complete the application and submit via the following methods:
- mail - Mayflower Congregational Church UCC, Attn: Benevolence Board, 3901 NW 63rd St, Oklahoma City, OK 73116
- fax - (405) 848-2607
- email - BenevolenceBoard@mayflowerucc.org
