CONGREGATION + COMMUNITY NEWS
PEOPLES PRESS
Joyfully Defiant for the Sake of a Just World
a congregation of the United Church of Christ, the Alliance of Baptists & the American Baptist Churches
INTERIM’S INSIGHTS
“All our people are to learn to do what is good for their practical lives as well. They’ll then be able to provide for their daily needs and not be unproductive”. (Titus 3:14, The Inclusive Bible)
The early church discovered quite quickly that being people of faith did not insulate them from the harsh realities of violence and suffering, nor did it exempt them from the practical (often boring) realities of having to earn a living, cook meals, or deal with conflict internally. In Titus (as well as I and II Timothy), we find a lot of practical advice about the nuts and bolts of being a congregation. Paul is sharing with young leaders his wisdom and experience about what it is to engage in ministry. So since Peoples Church of Flint is working toward extending a call to your next minister, I thought it might be a good idea to go over some of the practical aspects of “hiring” a new minister. It may not seem important, but it will certainly affect your relationship with your new minister if it is ignored!
First of all, the document that establishes the relationship (The Call Agreement) is a covenant, not a contract. I have heard experts in employment law say that the standard agreement used in most UCC churches (I am not familiar with what the Baptist churches use) is unenforceable legally. But frankly, if we have to go to court over what is in it, we have bigger problems than a broken “contract!” We give our word as congregations that we will do certain things, and behave in certain ways and if we go back on that, we cannot expect to have others trust us!
Secondly, clergy are an anomaly in the employment world. By the standards of the IRS, we are employees (except when we get honoraria for weddings, funerals and such - that gets reported as self-employment income), but by the standards of the Social Security Administration, we are self-employed. Since the forms assume only one of them is true, it means that if we do our own taxes, we have to do them twice, just to get the numbers to put in the boxes! The IRS does not tax the housing allowance, but the SSA does. It’s a nightmare! The result is that clergy get pretty protective of how they get their compensation. Putting the numbers together wrong can be costly! (And yes, clergy can opt out of Social Security, but if they do, they lose all benefits as well and for must of us, that is not a good idea.)
And since we are employees in the eyes of the IRS, the courts have held that the intellectual property we create (sermons, Bible studies, articles like this one) belong to the employer, the church. You can give your minister permission to use such things, but it should be in writing (in the Call Agreement, which is not enforceable!).
Clergy also have to pay attention to maintaining their authorization to be a minister. Denominational standards expect continuing education, boundary training (to help us recognize when we are getting too close to ethical or legal misconduct), participation in meetings of the wider church, and sometimes a periodic review of ministry. Churches are expected to help facilitate this by covering costs. (In the UCC, clergy are required to pay for a Criminal Background Check before circulating a profile. The church that calls them is expected to reimburse that cost.)
Now, I know that churches don’t call a minister to manage taxable income, nor do most ministers want to spend their energies making the case for their compensation arrangements. But like Paul and Titus (and Timothy), we find out quickly that ignoring these things can end up consuming a lot of time and energy that is better spent on the mission and ministry we want to accomplish. And I want you all to understand that ministers’ compensation is not like most other professions.
So take the time to find out what the best practices are in this particular and peculiar “employer/employee” relationship. Help your new minister connect with someone who knows clergy tax law inside and out. Recognize that clergy typically experience a lot of anxiety around this and that it can be intensely personal. Sometimes a particular household faces a situation that makes all of this critical to their well-being. Be flexible and understanding. Together, you can craft a covenant that will enable many years of productive ministry. Amen.
Pastor Davis Sickelka, Interim Pastor
we can do better
Beyond Plastics is more than a Website. It is a course at Bennington College in Vermont. An advocacy program committed to removing the poison of plastic from our lives and fighting the greatest plastic producer on earth - American oil industry. Beyond Plastics is a work in progress that Peoples Church is called to support and help build. Become acquainted with them by visiting their website – but don’t stop there: https://www.beyondplastics.org/about .
Last week Judith Enck, President of Beyond Plastics, hosted a very enlightening Webinar. The guest presenter was Dr. Phil Landrigan, leading epidemiologist and pediatrician, and Director of the Program for Global Public Health and the Common Good at Boston College. His presentation demonstrated how deeply invested American Oil companies are in the production of plastic. Recognizing that the days of fossil fuel driven transportation are coming to an end, American Oil companies are resetting their focus to producing oil for plastic.
Their efforts are paying off for the oil billionaires and industry while killing the rest of us. Since the 1940’s, 100s of 1000s of chemicals, related to plastic polymers and additives have been developed, producing new plastic products, and added to the environment. Today there are 350,000 manufactured chemicals on earth and 95% are made from petro-chemicals. 40% of these products are single-use items. Just walk through Walmart and any other store taking note of all the plastic containers and wrappers on food, toys, hardware products, drugs, ad infinitum. Clothes don’t need to be wrapped. All the polyesters in them make up for the lack of plastic wrapping more than enough!
Only 8% of used plastic is recycled compared to 90% of all glass used and 68% of all paper and cardboard. Why? Glass, cardboard and paper have all been subject to regulation. Plastic/chemical production and sales are completely free of governmental oversight. The oil companies can and do inject into the air, water, ground, bird, fish, animals and our bodies any chemical that suits them to produce more plastic products. Many of those chemicals are carcinogens. But the government closes its eyes. Our eyes need to be wide open.
Click HERE for the link to the above mentioned seminar.
Kendall Brown, for The Creation/Justice Team
Good Things Happening in and around us
Funeral Arrangements for Rebecca Gwillim:
Rebecca Lynne Gwillim, age 62, died on Tues., January 24, 2023, of an autoimmune disorder. Becky is survived by her mother, Ruth O. Sharpe, and her siblings, Cynthia Gwilym and Thomas A. Gwillim. A memorial service will be held at Court Street United Methodist Church in Flint, Michigan on Fri., February 3, 2023, at 11 AM.
Both Becky and Ruth are former members of Woodside Church. Please keep Becky’s family and friends in your prayers.
Make Sure that You Are in the Loop!!!
If you are missing some of the alerts and notifications that go out from the Peoples Church office, it may be that they are being diverted into your spam file. One thing you can do to ensure that this doesn’t happen is to add peopleschurchofflint.org to your list of approved senders. That way, anything that comes to you from our “domain” will be more likely to get through.
UPCOMING AFFILIATE & Community ACTIVITIES
JOIN THE THURSDAY NIGHT BOOK GROUP
IN THE CONGREGATION
Links are on the church calendar. Need more info? Just ask!
Links are on the church calendar: t.ly/ALHB. Need more info? Just ask!
Adult Forum, meets at 9:30 am on Sundays, We’re currently reading, Finding Me: A Memoir by Viola Davis. Join us either in person at church or via Zoom .
Vigil for Racial Justice is still gathering 1-2 pm Thursdays on the Genesee Courthouse lawn.
New Text Alert System. We have shifted to a new text messaging service. If you're in our church directory, you're all set. If you're not, go here to sign up!