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1. What is Stewardship?
Christian Stewardship is frequently summarized as
the giving of one's time, talent and treasure in service to
God, the Church and the larger community of our parish, nation
and world. During the annual Stewardship campaign we focus on
our ability to give of our financial treasure by asking all
parishioners to consider making a pledge of financial support
for the coming year.
2. Why is my pledge so important?
Your pledge is used to support the basic operations
of St. George's Episcopal Church and it enables the Vestry to
plan mission and outreach activities for the coming year. Your
participation in the pledging process is equally as important
as the dollars pledged. Scripture calls upon all Christians
to give to the Church in proportion to their resources, e.g.,
Tobit 4:8-9 If you have many possessions, make your gift from
them in proportion; if few, do not be afraid to give according
to the little you have. So you will be laying up a good treasure
for yourself against the day of necessity.
3. How do I know the money is spent
wisely?
The Church's finances are reviewed monthly, in detail,
by both the Finance Committee and the Vestry.
4. Doesn't St. George's get money
from the diocese to pay for expenses?
No. It is the other way around. St. George's is requested
to provide 10% of its income to support the good work of the
Diocese. We have not been able to fulfill this expectation.
5. How does parishioner giving at
St. George's compare with other Episcopal churches?
Not well. Parishioner contributions at St. George's
are only sufficient to cover 42% of our expenses. Most churches
have 80-85% of their expenses covered by parishioner contributions.
Our average annual pledge at St. George this year is $40/week
($2080/year).
6. If that is the case, how does
the Church pay its expenses?
The Church has two other primary sources of revenue.
The Children's Ark, the primary outreach activity of the Church,
pays rent to the Church for the property it occupies. In addition,
when the Church was founded in 1932, the estate of George Washington
Nevil (the founder), endowed a fund to pay for the ongoing building
maintenance costs of the church. St. George's receives income
from this fund to support those expenses.
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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 18th
to November 8th, 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. 8th, blank pledge cards will be available
for your use during that service. If you do not think that you
will be attending on Commitment Sunday, we ask that you send
pledge cards in by that weekend.
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