• Office Volunteer
  Join a group who are willing to help throughout the year in various tasks including: stuffing bulletins, bulk mailings, telephone calling, and newsletters.
  
• Stewardship Committee
  The mission of the Stewardship Committee is to promote stewardship as an expression of discipleship, to educate the parishioners that they are stewards of God's gifts, and to empower them to be Eucharistic people by sharing their gifts with the community. The goal is to nurture Christian Stewardship within our parish community through various methods of communication, education, motivation and promotion.
• Garden Ministry
  Members of the St. Joseph the Worker Garden Ministry, dedicate their time and talent to enhancing our community awareness of God's gift of nature through beautifying the landscape of our church. Physical activities, planting, weeding, watering, etc., are from April through October, with planning beginning in January. Approximately five hours per month.
  
• Maintenance/Repairs
  If you are skilled in a particular trade and are willing to share your talents and skills with the parish for small repair projects we need carpenters, painters, electricians, plumbers, welders, cabinetmakers, etc.
  
  Volunteer Background Check
  • July 2004
    
    
  • As you may no doubt know, at its meeting in 2002, the United States Catholic Bishops adopted policies dealing with the problem of sexual misconduct in the Church. Among those policies was a requirement for background checks for volunteers who regularly work with, or come in contact with minors or vulnerable adults.
    
    
  • Further, “It is the policy of the Church of St. Joseph the Worker to provide a ministerial environment that is safe, both for those receiving its ministries and for those providing its ministries. When those employees or volunteers who provide the ministries of the parish engage in physical abuse, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, sexual harassment, or harassment based upon race, creed, color, national origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual preference, veteran’s status, or receipt of public assistance, they violate the terms of their employment or voluntary service. They thereby compromise the safety of, and violate the ministerial mission of the ministry of the parish.” Church of St. Joseph the Worker, Sexual, mental, and physical harassment/offensive behavior policy. No 11. Date January. 26, 1994, Revision no. 1, Page 15.
    
    
  • The Archdiocese of St Paul and Minneapolis has now directed and provided all parishes in the Archdiocese the guidelines and a process to fulfill that requirement. Beginning July 1, 2004, people volunteering for ministries at St. Joseph the Worker where they provide ministry for minors or vulnerable adults will be asked to provide information and permission to conduct an investigation into their background.
    
    
  • All information submitted on this form is considered confidential and will be used only for the purpose of screening for volunteer positions.
    
    
  • This policy is in place to provide protection for the children and vulnerable adults in our parish community but also to protect you, the minister. I assure you that all information will be held in the strictest confidence. Thank you for your cooperation.
    
    
  • Fr. Mike Sullivan
    
  • Pastor
    

Many ways to make a financial contribution to St. Joseph the Worker

One of the means of giving to charitable and religious organizations such as St. Joseph the Worker is from a donor’s accumulated assets (net worth). Assets of these types might be stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or real estate. These assets appreciate with time and the market.

The donor receives two tax benefits from the gift of an asset. The gift is tax deductible at its value when transferred. Also the capital appreciation of the asset is not taxed. The asset must be held for one year to qualify for the capital gains tax advantage.

In order to realize the tax advantages the asset must be transferred to the charity before it is sold. In the case of stocks the asset can be transferred in electronic form or in certificate form.

Stocks

If you are considering an electronic transfer of stock to the parish please contact the parish office at 763-425-6505. We will provide you with the name of our brokerage firm, the address, our point of contact at the firm, the DTC number and our account name and number.

A common problem is when a stock is transferred electronically to the church’s brokerage firm and we don’t know who the donor is. We ask that you notify the parish office or our point of contact at our brokerage firm when the gift is being made. We also ask that you include your last name in the DTC record at the time of the transfer.

The value of the gift is determined by the average of the high and low trading prices on the day the transfer is made. The value may be significantly higher or lower than the final check received by the church. The goal is to sell the stock as quickly as possible, within days and to make the value of the gift and the check received by the church as close as possible.

As the donor you will receive a letter from the church recognizing the gift with a statement as to the value received along with a valuation of the gift including the high/low prices. This information is needed for tax purposes.

A donation of stock certificates has a different process. If you are considering this option please contact the parish office so we can walk you through the steps.

Electronic Transfer

Electronic Transfer is available for those who would like to have their financial contributions to the parish automatically transferred from their bank account to the parish. This service can be set up for Sunday Contributions and Capital Campaign contributions. You may choose weekly, monthly, and annually or any frequency that is convenient for you. Contact the parish office (763-425-6505) for further information and to have the necessary forms sent to you.

Credit Card

The parish accepts credit card payment for Sunday contributions, Capital Campaign pledge contributions or any fee you may owe to the parish. Contact the parish office (763-425-6505) for details.

* Any Facility usage/rental must be pre-approved by the pastor and Parish Business administrator.
* Groups which do not conform to Catholic ideals and norms will not be permitted to use the facilities.
* Groups using facilities will be required to clean or contract for cleaning the facilities after use. If parish resources are required to restore the facilities to acceptable cleanliness, the user will be billed for the allocated cost.
* Liquor, tobacco and drug use are prohibited from the facility at all times.
* Beer and wine may be authorized for specific alcohol-appropriate events at the discretion of the pastor and the Parish Business administrator. Beer and wine consumption must be in moderation and be disclosed in the pre-approval request for facility usage.

St. Joseph the Worker Parish Fundraising Policy 10/23/03
St. Joseph the Worker is adopting this fundraising policy to guide decisions for the various ministries in their quest for financing of their activities.
While it is recognized that fundraising will be required to meet the special needs of certain ministries, general financing will remain under the stewardship parish model.
Stewardship is defined as: "a financial development approach which focuses on regular contributions as the only source of recurring revenue for the parish."
Fundraising will not become part of the budget process.
Fundraising will not be allowed to circumvent the normal planning process and allocation of resources.

* This policy is not intended to address the following: Special collections such as Annual Catholic Appeal, Propagation of the Faith, Religious Retirement, etc.
* Capital campaigns
* Memorial opportunities to the extent these funds are dedicated to a specific cause/item and therefore cannot be redirected to another need or the general operations

In cases where fundraising is undertaken to support specific projects or goals, the following general guidelines will apply:

• 
  Any fundraising activity in which the parish will provide up front financing or could result in the parish becoming responsible to pay obligations must be pre-approved by the finance council and ratified by the pastoral council. Pre-approval by the finance council will require presentation of the fund raising plan which includes the risks and anticipated income of the proposed activity. Approved plans will subsequently be submitted to the pastoral council for ratification.
  
  * Plans presented to the finance council should include: Clear identification of the action plan for raising the funds (sale of specific goods or services, silent auction, raffle)
  * Justification of the need
  * Amount of funds needed to cover the expenses of the event or potential liability to be incurred by the parish
  * Anticipated income, along with worst case income in the event of unexpected events (i.e. rain, heat, wind, power outage)
  
  
  Plans submitted which do not project the ability to cover expected costs will not be approved. In the event a plan is pre-approved and funded, and subsequently fails to raise sufficient funds to cover its costs, the shortfall will be charged back against the budget of the sponsoring ministry.
  Plans should be submitted to the finance council and pastoral council for approval and integration into the annual budget and planning process.
  Any solicitation of funding /contributions by ministries from external sources for new initiatives or programs must be approved in advance by the Finance and Pastoral Councils. Any funds solicited or obtained without prior approval will be directed into the general operating accounts of the parish.
  
  Fundraising by groups under their own name.
  
  * Examples include the Knights of Columbus, Venture Crew, scouts, etc. or specific capital improvement projects. No solicitation will be allowed which disrupts the normal traffic flow of those attending worship services
  * Purpose of the fundraising must be consistent with the goals and desires of the parish.
  * Anticipated use of funds raised must be disclosed in advance
  * Fund raising will only be permitted by groups sponsored by or including members of the parish.
  * Funds raised by external groups will be accepted in the name of the parish but will not be earmarked for specific application. Donating groups may recommend specific uses for these funds but actual spending will be at the discretion of the Finance Council per established priority needs.
  
  

Conditions under which wine and beer can be served on the premises of St. Joseph the Worker:
Only parish sponsored events - defined as those events approved by the pastor, parish administrator or pastoral council.

No non-parish sponsored groups may make available or serve alcoholic beverages; e.g., weddings, etc.

A “beverage coordinator” shall be designated and will have responsibility for monitoring events that include alcoholic beverages. This will normally be a parish staff member, but may be a parishioner associated with organizing the event.

City of Maple Grove liquor regulations must be adhered to, and it is the responsibility of those seeking permission to inquire as to the necessity of a city permit for their particular event. The cost of the permit shall be borne by the event organizing committee. Evidence of having inquired as to the need for a city permit will be required before FINAL parish approval can be secured.

Wine and beer liability control requirements:
Wine and beer may be dispensed by sufficiently trained and responsible persons 25 years of age or older. These persons will be identified by the beverage coordinator.

At walk-up service, the age of anyone appearing to be under the age of 35 should be verified by requesting the driver’s license of the potential consumer. Wine and beer will never be served to an individual who is under the legal drinking age of 21.

It is the responsibility of the beverage coordinator to assure that table service of alcoholic beverages does not violate the legal age for consumption law.

The one customer, one beverage rule must be adhered to.

Food must be served at all events that include beer or wine. Alcoholic beverages are to be a complement to a meal, and should not be the featured attraction.

No outside (personal) alcoholic beverages are allowed. If personal alcoholic beverages are brought into an event, the person responsible will be asked to leave the premises immediately.

A pre-existing plan must be devised to deal with an individual who appears to be intoxicated. The plan must include alternative methods of transportation home after the event and a method to limit or stop an individual’s consumption should he/she have had too much to drink in the opinion of the staff person or beverage coordinator for the event. This plan must be submitted to the parish business administrator with the event plan.

One and one half hours before the event concludes, the bar must be shut down and no further alcoholic beverages can be made available to the individuals present at the event.