Benevolence

TOL Benevolence Program Guidelines

Benevolence: “The disposition to do good; good will; kindness; charitableness; the love, of mankind, accompanied with a desire to promote their happiness.”

Purpose:

The purpose of Tree Of Life’s benevolence program is to help others when they are in need. This can be done through financial or physical means and even through prayer and support. Benevolence can and will be used to help those in the church family and the community when they are truly in need. It is not meant to be a source of income for an individual or family but a place where they can receive assistance in the name of God and of love when there is no other hope.

Source:

The benevolence program will be funded by the church family and is meant to be in addition to regular tithes and offerings. No money will come from designated donations or donations made to the general church account. Money can be moved from the general church account to fulfill a benevolence request, but only after passing a vote of the Elder Board.

Providing Help:

Assistance through the benevolence program will be provided after a review by the Benevolence team. Each request will be reviewed individually and may be subject to terms by the requestor as seen fit by the benevolence team (i.e. obtaining it in person before or after a church service, financial planning help, or a discussion with church staff). There will never be any implied or expressed expectation of repayment for funds provided.

Documentation:

All requests will be entered into Planning Center in a workflow that can be tracked and monitored. All funds distributed from the benevolence fund must be accounted for and documented. A spreadsheet will also be maintained in order to list all requests made that can be used for tracking purposes and also a history of requests made. This sheet will list the person in need of assistance, date of the request, the type of request, the amount of the request, a quick description of the reason for the request, the requestor, and the request source.