October 12, 2007

Dear St. George's parishioners,

We are in the fortunate situation of being a growing church community, which continues to attract new members. Part of that attraction to potential newcomers comes from the sense of community we have here. Part is obviously from the sense of spirituality found here. And part of it comes from mere first impressions that visitors experience here. In order to understand and fully appreciate this, need to look at both the past and the present so that we can comprehend the legacies we all benefit from here at St. George's.

I will get back to that thought in a moment. First, I wanted to share with you an example of a potential newcomer's first impression of St. George's.

It happened two weeks ago during the Pet Blessing service. For those of you who have been to that service, you know that it opens up this fellowship community to the public and has become quite popular - appealing to a wide range of faiths and species alike. While watching the procession of pets and owners walking up the aisle, I recognized a visiting acquaintance with her children and their pets. Her youngest child is in the same kindergarten class with my daughter, Elizabeth.

While waiting to pick up our daughters from school the next day, the woman had a number of questions about St. George's. Like some of you, she had grown up attending a Roman Catholic church, and now her own family belongs to one of the large local Roman Catholic parishes. She commented on how the basic parts of the service were similar to those in the Catholic Church. She also remarked about the beauty of the windows and architecture of the St. George's. Additionally, she told me that she enjoyed the wonderful music and then commented on the comfortable intimacy she felt sitting in the congregation. "Intimate" is probably the last adjective that I would use to describe that particular service….and, I don't think that it would offend Fr. Duffey if I were to say that over the last few years, that service has really gone to the dogs…but I knew what she meant. She was used to sitting in a congregation of 500 people or more, in a huge building…perhaps experiencing anonymity rather than community.

Her first impressions of this community were those of comfort and were enhanced by the visible legacy left by the members of this community. Her first impressions have her giving serious thought to returning for a closer look.

Most of you have heard the story of how St. George's came to be through the vision and faith of George Nevil. This building is part of the legacy he left for us. Then, in the 1950's, the members of this community had a new mission and conducted a building fund drive in order to expand the parish house, which included creating classrooms for the Sunday school. That was part of the legacy left by them for us. We can look around and see the visible signs of those legacies. Even in recent months and years, visible legacies have been left. The Children's Ark, for example. The windows, which the visitor noted have been restored. The organ too was restored to its grandeur. We have a state of the art system that can play our bells. Each month, during the Sunday school season, a children's altar is used for the children's chapel service. These are just a few of the many legacies that members of this community have generously left for the present and future benefit of this congregation.

While those legacies are quite visible, audible, and recognizable, there is another type of legacy that goes practically unnoticed. That type of legacy is based in this community's ability and willingness to pledge the financial support needed to maintain and nurture St. George's in order to ensure this community's development and growth.

Last year's pledge campaign yielded about a 95% pledge participation by this community. That is a truly wonderful fact for St. George's as we continue to grow and thrive. I am not up here to urge you to pledge, because you already do. For that, I thank you all. I also have faith that those of you who are newcomers, will pledge this year and for the years to come.

Another goal of the campaign last year, as it is every year, was to raise the funds needed by the budget to meeting the daily expenses of maintaining and operating this building, this community, and its ministries. At the end of last year's campaign, I reported to you that goal had also been met. It was met in a "break-even" sort of way. This not a bad thing, especially in today's world where many churches are seriously struggling or closing their doors because they can no longer meet their expenses and their congregations withered away.

Yet, as we continue to grow in numbers (especially in the numbers of young families), we need to consider how we must keep up with this growth by doing more than maintaining a "break-even" level of pledging. "Breaking even" does not prepare us for the unexpected, yet necessary expenses, which might be incurred over the course of the year. "Breaking even" does not afford us to expand any of our many ministries, or create new ones. "Breaking even" is not what this growing community needs as it winds up its Diamond Jubilee and begins its journey toward its Centennial. "Breaking even" will only ultimately lead to stagnant growth. Stagnancy is never appealing to the eyes of potential newcomers. Every one of us was a visitor and then a newcomer to this community at some point in time. Where would St. George's be if none of us came back for a second look?

Ensuring the continued growth and vitality of this fellowship community is perhaps the greatest legacy that we can leave. It is a legacy we can leave for the members of this community yet to arrive, and it is a legacy we will leave for our salvation as Christians.

Paul Joslin
Stewardship Committee Chair

7. That sounds great!! - so what is the concern about increasing pledging all about?
For many years St. George's operated at a deficit and had to rely on the principal from the original endowment fund to cover losses. It is only recently that St. George's has been able to achieve a breakeven budget. In order to achieve this, however, expenses have been pared down to an absolute minimum, and many needed building repairs have been deferred. The reality today is that we are still a rapidly growing parish and our revenue growth is not keeping pace with our physical growth. Clearly we still have a long way to go to ensure the financial security of St. George's.

8. But I contribute to the plate collection - what difference does it make to pledge?
An enormous difference. Though plate collections are helpful, without a sense of committed parishioner income, the Vestry cannot plan. It would be similar to having a job where you didn't know how much you would be paid for your work, or if you would be paid - you would just have to see what was placed in your paycheck.

9. But what if I pledge, and my circumstances change and I can't complete my commitment?
It happens every year. The pledge is an indication of intent - not a legal contract. Circumstances change - that is well understood at St. George's; all that is asked is that one do what they can.

10. How much should I pledge?
There is no simple answer to this. While the Biblical standard for giving is the tithe, or one tenth, it is recognized that few of us can claim this laudable goal. The Stewardship Committee asks that you make a thoughtful decision, appropriate to your own household circumstances, respectful of the role of the Church in your life and cognizant of the fact that Church expenses, like your own, rise over time.

11. Will I be asked to give again during the year?
Pledgers will not be asked again to contribute to the Church's operations. That said, there will be times during the year when parishioners will be asked to consider a contribution to organizations through St. George's - for example "Superbowl Sunday". In addition, we expect to continue to conduct special events, such as the Holiday Gala, the proceeds of which will benefit St. George's.

12. What is the timeframe for the pledge drive at St. George's?
The stewardship campaign will run from October 14th to November 11th, Commitment Sunday, where we invite you to place your pledge on the altar. If you prefer to send it in ahead of that time, that would be fine too. If you do send it in early and plan to attend on Nov. 11, blank pledge cards will be available for your use during that service. If you do not think that you will be attending on November 11, we ask that you send pledge cards in by that weekend.