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GIVE AWAY THE PLATE MINISTRY

"We gather your gifts not for ourselves, but for the world. All that we receive, we give. As always, we encourage you to be generous." - Rev. Mueller

These words helped to inspire our "Give Away the Plate Ministry" that began in October 2006. Through this exciting and generous ministry, we give away our Sunday morning offering the first three weeks each month to select non-profit groups. We're not expecting any recognition or reward. It's just one way to acknowledge our gratitude and give to our community. The total given through UUCA's "Give Away the Plate" ministry as of May 6, 2008 is $126,588 and is shared between 62 non-profit groups. We are indeed a grateful and generous congregation. Please look for the Give Away the Plate table in the Social Hall before and after Sunday services where the recipient of that morning's plate will have a chance to meet, greet and educate UUCA folks. There's also a collection of thank you notes available to read too. Thank you for supporting this important ministry.

For more details, please see:

Schedule of Recipients

To learn more about the recipients, please visit the "Give Away the Plate" table in the Social Hall after each service on Sunday and follow the links below.

Scheduled Recipients

Approved Recipients - Schedule Pending

Potential Recipients under discussion

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What do you mean by "We gather your gifts not for ourselves, but for the world. All we receive today, we give." ?

A: These words by Rev. Mueller were part of the inspiration for UUCA's exciting and generous practice of giving the Sunday morning offering to select non-profit groups. We're not expecting any recognition or reward. It's just one way to acknowledge our gratitude and give back to our community.

Q: Do you really mean give it ALL away?

A: Yes, all money received in the Sunday morning offering that is not specifically marked "pledge" or "for UUCA" is given to the designated organization. The giving of the offering plate is in addition to the pledges given to the operating budget.

Q: Doesn't UUCA need money too?

A: Yes, UUCA needs the continued financial support of our members and friends. We will gladly accept pledges and contributions during the Sunday morning offering. If you would like your offering to go to the UUCA operating budget, please write "for UUCA" on the memo line of your check. It is helpful for our record keeping if all checks have information on the memo line.

Q: How do you select the recipients of the offering?

A: A "Give Away the Plate Ministry Team" approves and prioritizes recipients based on requests and information from the congregation. The team works with the ministers in coordinating the recipients with Sunday services. All recipients must be non-profit 501c3 organizations and be consistent with UU Principles and Purposes and Statements of Conscience from UUCA and the UUA. Select "Recommend a recipient" or talk with Rev. Marti Keller, about organizations you recommend.

Q: How can I learn more?

A: Please talk with Rev. Marti Keller, stop by the "Give Away the Plate" table in the Social Hall on Sundays, or ask the "Give Away the Plate" team.

Q: How can I share my feedback or join the team?

A: Come to the "Give Away the Plate" table in the Social Hall after service, send an email to the "Give Away the Plate" team, or talk with Rev. Marti Keller.

Q: What did you learn during the 3 month trial?

A: Our trial was an overwhelming success. The Sunday morning offering increased by 414%, which gave $25,945 to 13 non-profit groups in our community. Our spirit of generosity was reflected in the UUCA budget too, growing our pledges by 10% or $62,000. The congregation supports the program by making generous financial contributions, sending nominations of non-profit groups, and by staffing and visiting the recipients table in the Social Hall on Sundays. Based on the trial, we continued the practice of giving away the plate 3 Sundays each month.

Q: What did you learn during the program's first year?

A: In our first year, we gave away the plate the first 3 Sundays each month. These Sundays showed an increase of 491% in the amount received during Sunday morning services. This allowed UUCA to give $84,903 to 40 non-profit groups in our community, many of which had active volunteers from the congregation. We are indeed a grateful and generous congregation. During this year, we also kept the plate on 4th and 5th Sundays which generated as much or more income toward the congregation's operating budget in this "give" year as it did in the prior "keep" year. In other words, "giving away the plate" has actually met more operating income for UUCA, plus all of the wonderful benefits of generous giving. The old saying is true and we have indeed received more than we have given. Beginning September 16, 2007, the Children's RE classes began contributing to the "Give Away the Plate" ministry on Sundays too. To date, the children have donated more than $514 to the Give Away the Plate ministry through Children's RE class offerings.

Q: If I recommend a recipient, what happens next and when will the recipient be scheduled to receive the offering?

A: You should receive a confirmation that the Give Away the Plate Ministry team has received the nomination within 3 days. The Give Away the Plate team will review the nomination and ask any clarifying questions. The team meets approximately one time each quarter to review all nominations and create a prioritized list. Efforts are made to reflect the diversity of our congregation by presenting a diverse set of non-profit groups. After the meeting, the team notifies nominators of approved or rejected nominations, updates the status on the website, and delivers the prioritized list to the ministers. As the offering is part of the overall worship experience, the ministers make efforts to match the theme of the worship with the recipient and this sets the schedule of recipients. In order to publish the list of future recipients in newsletters and other UUCA publications, recipients are normally scheduled at least 6 weeks prior to the date they receive the offering. Efforts are made to schedule recipients within 9 months of being approved. Groups may be combined based on the list of nominees and themes of worship service. If you have questions at any time, please contact Rev. Marti Keller, or the Give Away the Plate ministry team.

Q: I nominated a recipient and they are scheduled to receive the offering. What do I need to do?

A: Once scheduled, the Give Away the Plate team works with the nominators to coordinate information for publications, social hall table, information sessions, etc.

  • Please email Rev. Marti Keller a 2-3 sentence synopsis of your organization for the Order of Service and the Cliffhanger. Also provide her with a mailing address for the organization so the check can be sent to them promptly.
  • Notify a representative from the organization that they are being honored so they can attend the service, if they'd like.
  • It is not a requirement to have either a representative or materials at the service where a nominee is honored. It is at your discretion, as the nominator, how much you want to provide to support the nomination. If you or someone from the organization would like to provide materials about the organization on their special day, please arrange to set those up in the social hall that morning. You can provide handouts, a fact-sheet or whatever else you think might help explain the work of the organization. Look for a table labeled "Faith in Action" or "Give Away the Plate" and use it for your materials.

2008 Recipients

The generous giving on April 20, Installation Sunday, for the UUA Living Traditions Fund ($2,358) and the UUA "Association Sunday" ($3,890) is in addition to the giving for the "Give Away the Plate" ministry.

For 2007 and 2006 recipients, please see the archived list of recipients. 





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