Hello, NWUUC family!

Christmas Eve is only one day away!  And since we have so much information you deserve to be in-the-loop with, the board and I have decided that it really warranted a mid-week email that will come to you before the newsletter.  (We’ll share this information in the newsletter, as well.)

I am so excited about being in-person with many of you at 5PM this Friday evening for our Christmas Eve worship!  Let’s talk about the ways the board and staff and I have come up with to keep you and everyone we love as safe as possible.

First of all -and this is an important one- we will be REQUIRING proof of full vaccination, including boosters, for all eligible to be vaccinated.  Please show up ready with your vax card, or a very clear picture on your phone of your vax card.  Our greeters and ushers do not want the unenviable job of turning ANYONE away, but for the safety of all of us, they are prepared to do so.  The board, staff, and this minister fully support this decision.  
 

Masks (fully covering noses and mouths) will be required of EVERYONE while in the building, and even while singing together on our patio.   We will offer disposable masks to anyone who needs one.  

We will have stations with hand sanitizer all over the lobby, fellowship hall, and sanctuary.

We will not be serving food or drink this year, due to an abundance of caution.  

Here’s another VERY important thing to remember:  DRESS FOR WARMTH!!   We will have the furnace cranked high, and every door open for the entirety of the service, as well as processing outside for the final part of the service.  It may very well FEEL like being outside for the entire service…so come cozy and snuggly.  Blankets welcome.  Warm PJs welcome.  Coats and gloves are highly encouraged!  (Gloves are a great layer of virus protection too, eh?) 
 

The sanctuary is set up in seating pods of four or fewer chairs together.  Of course, if your family is larger than that, our ushers can help you reconfigure in a way that works best.  But please do not move the seating unless that is the specific case, or without consulting the usher crew.  Just about every other seating pod contains a chair with arms, so do look around the sanctuary to find those, if you need one.  And please ASK if you cannot find one…we are committing to full accessibility, whatever it takes.  

What about our unvaccinated children under five years old?  We are leaving their attendance up to the discretion of their families, and they will be admitted.  THESE CHILDREN are a very big part of the reason we are checking the vax status of everyone else!  This is how we can show up for each other in our beloved community, friends.  

For those who are concerned about singing, here are the particulars.  Dr. Rogers and just a few soloists will share short interludes of song with us, from their spot in the front, with as much safe distance as possible between them and others.  There will be NO congregational singing in the sanctuary. At the end of the service, we will process outside to the back patio to light our candles and sing a verse or two of Silent Night together…WHILE WE ALL REMAIN MASKED and spread out to safer distances from one another. 

Do you want to take advantage of a tax break for 2021?  Consider making an extra pledge payment before the end of the year—or fulfilling your 21-22 pledge if that works for you.  

Larry Wallis has provided us with some end-of-year tax suggestions that he obtained from his financial planning group.  

As always, the Board of Trustees appreciate your continued financial support of our Home in the Woods.

By donating from your IRA directly to a qualifying Charitable Organization, you may reduce your income taxes and increase the net amount to the Charitable Organization. This direct transfer is called a Qualified Charitable Distribution.

A Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) is generally a nontaxable distribution from your IRA (other than a SEP or SIMPLE IRA) paid by your IRA Trustee directly to a Charitable Organization eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions. The funds must not pass through your hands, and the maximum amount for QCDs is $100,000 annually.

Reference:   www.irs.gov, pub 590-B (2020), topic: Qualified Charitable Distributions

What are the benefits of a QCD?

• The QCD amount can count toward satisfying your Required Minimum Distribution.

• You do not pay income tax on the QCD amount because the distribution is not taxable income to you.

• Because the gift amount does not increase your taxable income, it will not affect Social Security benefits and will not increase subsequent Medicare premiums.

• The money that you would ordinarily pay to the IRS in income tax goes instead to the charitable organization.

Who is eligible?

IRA owners who are age 70 ½ or older at the end of 2021 are eligible to use a QCD.
The CARES ACT allows you to use a QCD upon reaching age 70 ½ (or older) by the end of 2021, even though it pushed the starting age for RMD’s out to age 72.

This definition is from IRS pub 590B for tax year 2020, as updated May 13, 2021.

Example calculation

Assume (for simplicity of calculation) you are in the 25% tax bracket and your RMD for this year is $10,000 or more.

If you made an ordinary distribution of $10,000 to yourself from the IRA, you would pay $2,500 (or less, depending on other deductions) in income tax, leaving $7,500 (or more) to donate to a Charitable Organization.

On the other hand, if a $10,000 Qualified Charitable Distribution were made directly to the charitable organization, these would apply:

• $10,000 of your RMD requirement for the current year would be satisfied.

• All $10,000 would go to the charitable organization.

• You would pay no income tax on the $10,000.

Contrast a Charitable Contribution from a non-IRA (after-tax) account

For charitable donations from a non-IRA account, consider donating highly appreciated stocks. The actual cost to you is the original purchase price of the stocks. You would avoid paying capital gains tax on the increase in value, and the charity would liquidate the stocks at current market value.

Disclaimer: You should consult your IRA Trustee or Tax Accountant before acting on these tips.

The office will be closed Friday, December 24, 2021-Sunday, January 2, 2022.