GOOD NEWS

from the

Presbytery of Great Rivers

We are called to share Christ's love by partnering in service, 

uniting in worship, and risking in ministry.

December 23, 2022

Announcements

Dates to remember

2022 contributions need to be mailed by Friday 12/23/22 to be received & processed prior to the end of the year.

The office is closed the final week of the year 12/24/22 to 1/3/23.

PGR Newsletter

Our Newsletters will go out the 2nd and 4th Friday of the month. The deadline for adding information is the Wednesday before.

The Presbytery extends their love and sympathy to the family of Gene Miller. 

Obituary for Gene Miller

Called Presbytery Assembly:

January 28, 10am-noon over Zoom



The Leadership Team has called a special presbytery assembly for the purpose of discussing and voting on proposed Book of Order amendments from the 2022 General Assembly. Since this will be a shorter meeting, it will be online only. Please mark your calendars and stay tuned for registration information. You can read more about the proposed amendments by clicking on the link below.

If you are not comfortable with Zoom and would rather share a computer with other commissioners, multiple commissioners can gather in one room for the meeting. Please contact Stated Clerk Elissa Bailey (pastorbailey.greatriverspby@gmail.com) for voting information if you would like to do this.

Clerks Corner

Friends,

There is a lot happening this time of year with the annual statistical reports. Thank you to everyone who has responded about receiving the documents. If you have not done so, please do. Also, please remember that your session must vote on the annual statistical report before submission. This can make for an interesting time crunch. Please let me know if you have any time issues with this that we can talk about.

Please take a look at the reports so that nothing new or different will catch you off guard when the time comes. There are some changes and some new documents that were sent out this year.

In the new year, there will be more opportunities to meet with me over zoom to work on filling out the reports.

As always, let me know if you have any questions.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Rev. Elissa Bailey

Presbytery of Great Rivers Stated Clerk

From Your Finance Team

The Presbytery of Great Rivers will be hosting Zoom classes taught by Amy Gardner (Presbytery of Great Rivers’ former Accountant) in early 2023. Each class will be 1 ½ hours long.

Monday January 16 – 6:30PM -8:00PM – Financial and Human Resources Roundtable

Topics will include W-2s and 1099s, Per Capita, Restricted Funds, Record Retention, Insurance Requirements, Housing Allowances, Terms of Call, Professional Expenses, Employee Reimbursements, and HR Best Practices. Register at https://forms.gle/1Zp6B69TzcMR4KEKA

Monday January 23 – 6:30PM-8:00PM - Annual Financial Review

The target participant for this class will be church volunteers who will be completing the church’s annual financial review. We will walk through the newly updated Volunteer’s Audit Guide for Churches & Other Non-Profits so volunteers have a better understand of the steps being taken and the rationale behind the steps. Register at https://forms.gle/rjqW6yrqA6LGmzgK9

REMINDER: IRS REPORTING DEADLINE FOR CHANGES IN MINISTERIAL HOUSING ALLOWANCE IS DECEMBER 31

May a housing allowance be approved based on a church’s fiscal year that is not the calendar year?

No. The IRS says a minister’s housing allowance request must be approved strictly on the calendar year basis. This is due to the minister’s tax return being based on the calendar year.

How is a housing allowance established? Must it be approved in advance?

1. Establishing a housing allowance each year involves the following actions: The minister determines the amount of his/her annual salary amount that will be paid to him/her in each calendar year as a housing allowance and submits the request to the appropriate church board by the November or December meeting of that board.
2. The church board charged with approving a minister’s annual housing allowance receives the request and approves the amount in a resolution no later than its December meeting since the request will be paid during the new calendar year.

Tax regulations specify that for the housing allowance to be excluded from federal income taxes it must be designated in advance of payment by official action of the employing church or integral agency. The designation must be in writing and should be contained in the minutes of the board or committee charged with approving housing allowance(s). The designation does not need to be attached to the tax return or reported to the IRS except upon specific inquiry from them.

May housing allowance resolutions be adopted or amended during the year?

      Absolutely! This makes it possible for ministers who move to a new church during the year to enjoy this benefit. Additionally, a minister’s housing allowance approved ahead of a new calendar year may be amended…up or down…at any time during the year if it is needed. If the amended request is larger than the originally-approved amount, it’s important to note that the larger number must be approved by the appropriate church board before any of the additional funds are spent. The IRS rules say all housing amounts must be given approval prospectively – meaning ahead of being spent. Hence, the need for the board to approve a new calendar year’s request each December at the latest to cover any housing expenses that may be incurred in the early days of each January.

Please click on the blocks below to follow the links:

2023 Assembly Dates

February 25, 2023 at 10 am at First Normal

April 29th at Westminster Springfield

August 26th at Peoria United

November pending

In-person and Virtual

Presbytery of Great Rivers Virtual Office

Virtual Office Assistant Crystal Goforth 309-683-6980 Email: office@greatriverspby.org

Crystal works remotely from South Carolina (Eastern Time)

Please leave her a message & she will return your call.

Bookkeeper Sabrina McGrath 309-683-6981 Email: smcgrath@greatriverspby.org

Sabrina works from Peoria IL.

Her regular schedule is Tues & Thurs between 8am-4pm (Central Time)

Bridge Presbyter John Rickard 309-683-6983 Email: jrickard@greatriverspby.org

He works remotely from Northern Illinois.

His regular schedule is Mon – Fri between 9am -5pm (Central Time)

Stated Clerk - Elissa Bailey- 309-371-2511  Email: pastorebailey@gmail.com

Starting May 1st: the Stated Clerk's Office hours will be Mon - Thurs from 7:30am - 3pm. (Central Time)