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BENEVOLENCE SUPPORT GUIDELINES

1. Anyone seeking assistance must pick up a benevolence application form fill out and return to the church office.
2. Anyone seeking assistance must interview with a member of the Benevolence Team to receive assistance.
3. The amount of assistance provided to each person shall be based on need, taking into consideration the amount available in the Benevolence budget.
4. Partners have first priority followed by non-partners.
5. Needs must be confirmed and/or verified before assistance is given.
6. The decision of the team will be given to applicant within 14 days of receipt of the application.
7. Money will not be paid directly to individuals seeking assistance. Checks will be made to companies or agencies whenever possible. Bills or written statements are required in order to draw a check.
8. If Benevolence Team requests, recipients must be willing to receive financial counseling in order to qualify for assistance.
9. The maximum annual amount of benevolence assistance provided to partners and non-partners will be established at the beginning of each year and will be determined based upon the annual budget established for benevolence.
10. For continued support of an individual, we require commitment of the individual to a local church body, and if unemployed and employable, evidence that they are actively pursuing employment.
11. No assistance will be provided in any of the following situations:
    • Where the money will be returned to the individual seeking assistance (i.e., deposits)
    • The individual is seeking help to pay legal fees.
    • The applicant willfully, and without a valid reason, continues to violate the 14-day rule for team review and approval once they have been reminded of the rule one time. This stipulation will be waived if the applicant’s situation has changed drastically and they are calling to provide the team an update on their current situation. What constitutes a ‘valid’ reason will be determined at the discretion of the team.
12. The team will not provide loans to any individual.
13. Assistance will be provided only upon the Pastor or Elder team member’s approval and the approval of two other members of the team. The Pastor or Elder has the right to make a unilateral decision, within the limits of the normal approval guidelines, in cases when timing demands an immediate decision and when it is impractical to obtain a timely response from the other team members or the Pastor or Elder has unsuccessfully tried to reach the other team members to obtain approval.
14. The Benevolence Team reserves the right to deviate from these guidelines upon a favorable vote of the team.