Giving brings us joy. It is an expression of gratitude for our own good fortune and a chance to support what we believe in.

Wildflower Church is a culture of abundance. We believe, and we have learned from the church’s experience, that our congregation will support the programs and goals that are of such deep value to all of us.

Your gifts to Wildflower Church are a very personal decision. We hope that you will give as much as you are able, and only you are in a position to decide how much that is.

As a group we have said that we value caring, children, community (both the congregation and the wider community), social justice and spirituality. These values form the foundation for our programs, and we give to make these programs a reality.

We give to keep our growing Children’s Religious Education program vital and growing and further develop our program for teens; we give to pay our minister who leads us in all that we do and especially in deepening spirituality; we give so we can support non-profit organizations in South Austin that represent our values; we give so we can continue to come together as a congregation at South Austin Senior Activity Center and work together in our office space.

We can give in a variety of ways at Wildflower.

We give through the Offering taken at every Sunday service. You are welcome to contribute as you can, and you can give either cash or a check. (If you itemize your IRS deductions, however, you should give by check so that we can send you a report of your giving periodically.) This goes toward funding the day-to-day expenses of the church.

We give to fulfill our yearly Pledges, the commitment we make to the church once a year for what we will give in the coming year. When you have completed and signed your Pledge Form, please give it to the Treasurer or President of the Board of Trustees or mail it to the church at P.O. Box 40395, Austin, TX 78704. If you have questions about your pledge, you can contact the chair of the Stewardship Committee. Your pledge is in support of the day-to-day operations of the church.

We give to our Second Offering on the third Sunday of each month to support a non-profit South Austin organization that represents our values. These organizations are carefully selected by our Social Action Committee, using a set of criteria that they have developed. Please mark your check “Second Offering” before you put it in the offering basket.

We give to our Memorial Fund to remember loved ones who have died. Writing “Memorial Fund” and the name of the person remembered on your check will assure that it gets to the right fund.

We give to our Capital/Building Fund to help make our dream of a building of our own come true. Be sure to write “Capital Fund” on your check when you mail it to us or put it in the offering basket on Sunday mornings.

We give to our Endowment Fund, established to ensure the long-term financial health of the church. This fund includes money for repair and maintenance of the building we will some day own; money for special social justice projects; and money for an operating reserve fund that will some day grow large enough to be tapped in case of a financial emergency. Writing “Endowment Fund” on your check will get it deposited in the right fund.

From time to time, we give special contributions for such things as disaster relief, working trips taken by members of the congregation, or support of special projects of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations or the Southwest UU District.

You are always welcome to ask about how we spend your money at Wildflower Church. Our treasurer or another Board member will be happy to talk with you about any aspect of our budget and how our financial decisions are made. It’s your money, and we do our best to remember that and be open and accountable about expenses.