A letter from Tom Darner, the Chair of the 2009-2010 Stewardship Campaign Dear St. Johns Members and Friends, April 5, 2009, is Stewardship Sunday and the start of this year’s pledge campaign. I encourage you all to make a special effort to attend the service on Sunday. Pledging is the primary way we maintain St. Johns' financial health and vibrancy. Pledge and comment cards will be passed out during the service and pledge guides will be available.
If you cannot join us this Sunday you will receive a letter in the mail with your pledge card. It is important that you complete your card as soon as possible so that our Board can begin to create its proposed operating budget for next year. That budget will be voted on at the congregational meeting scheduled for June 7th. As with most years, preparing next year’s operating budget will be a challenge. Our grant from the UUA in support of our contemporary service drops by $5,000. Next year’s budget will include moving expenses for an interim minister, an amount estimated to be $8,000. You will also remember that last year we had significant donations from members who gave St. John’s all or a part of their tax rebate checks. As a result, we will need to increase our pledge dollars by over 10% to balance next year’s budget. And if we wish to provide salary increases for our staff, pledges will need to increase even more. Given these facts, I ask each of you to be as generous as possible when making your pledge. I’m asking each of you to spend some time before Sunday thoughtfully considering the amount of your pledge. You might find the St. Johns' 2009 Pledge Guide useful in determining an appropriate pledge level, given your (family) income and the level of your commitment to our church family. You can get a copy of this guide and a pledge card here. If possible, when making your pledge, please indicate on the card that you want to make your pledge payments by electronic transfer. Our financial secretary, Rick Prairie, can help you set up this automatic transfer of funds from your bank account directly to St. John’s. I truly believe that if each of us conscientiously applies the St. John’s pledge guide to his or her pledge, St. John’s will be able to construct a balanced operating budget for next year which will reflect our values and commitments. Please stay after the service on Sunday for a special coffee that includes a number of wonderful hors d’oeuvres made by several St. John’s members. We’ll try to have a preliminary initial pledge total to announce at the coffee. Remember, the health and vibrancy of our beloved community will soon be in your hands. With the development of a new strategic plan and the arrival of a new minister, next year will be both exciting and rewarding! This is a time of change! Tom Darner
Stewardship Chair |
