Stewardship Campaign 2010

Dear Parish Community,

As we prepare to launch our 2010 Stewardship Campaign I share many of the same feelings that the Apostle Paul must have experienced before setting out upon his first great missionary voyage. Excited about our collective potential and prospects for supporting our common mission--while at the same time apprehensive regarding the magnitude of the challenges that lie ahead. Funding Our Future--Faithful Giving is the theme that I wish to expand upon in my appeal for your support of our 2010 Stewardship Campaign

Two years ago I challenged our parish to adopt the practice of Proportional Giving--the discipline of increasing one’s pledge each year in proportion to one’s income. Proportional Giving recognizes that few of us are able to casually tithe and give away a tenth of our income--yet we can make meaningful yearly progress towards that goal by working to increase our pledge by 1/2 of one percent of our income. The road towards becoming a parish with healthy finances begins with each household faithfully wrestling with Proportional Giving.

Many parishioners have said that they find it helpful to put their giving in context. The first relevant piece of information is difficult to share. Among our peers (the12 largest churches) within the Diocese of California, St Matthew’s ranks next to the bottom with an average yearly pledge that is under $2000 per household. Half of the parishes our size are supported by a yearly pledge average that exceeds ours by over $1000 per household. I am encouraged by the leadership of our Vestry who have embraced Proportional Giving and are dedicated to supporting the mission and ministry of St. Matthew’s. This year the average pledge of the 13 members of the Vestry was just over $4,700 and we are committed to increasing our pledges in proportion to income for 2010.

The great majority of our yearly parish budget comes from the pledges of our parishioners. If you are new to the St. Matthew’s community or new to pledging, it is my hope that you will be able to make a pledge to support the work of our Church in the upcoming year. Your pledge helps us to better plan our budget and will help move our parish closer to financial health. A financial pledge card is included with this mailing along with a time pledge card that asks what time and talent you offer in addition to your treasure. We will venture to collect all completed Pledge Cards at our Services on Sunday November 15th.

I believe that we are poised at an exciting moment in the life of our parish. It will take our entire community pulling together to restore out community to financial health. It is my hope that you will give prayerful consideration to your participation in our 2010 Stewardship Campaign.

With thanks and gratitude,

Fr. Eric+

Stewardship and Proportional Giving

Stewardship involves our response to God’s blessings and is an important aspect of our faith. We are each stewards of a portion of God’s creation and financial stewardship involves giving back a portion of our wealth to provide for God’s work in the world. From ancient times, we have the notion of giving the first fruits of our labor - the first and best portion - to God.

Proportional Giving is a means for wrestling with the question “How much of my wealth should I contribute for the mission and ministry of the church in my annual pledge?” The traditional measure of giving to the Church is the tithe - a tenth of one’s income. In ancient times the tithe was a significant commitment and it remains so today. The tithe is a measure of one’s commitment to support the work of the Gospel in the world. One’s giving is a tangible expression of one’s faith. Few people can casually give away a tenth of their income, and most of us fall short of the standard of the tithe.

Proportional Giving recognizes that stewardship is a journey and that the tithe is a level to work towards. It provides a means for individuals and the entire congregation to steadily strengthen their giving in stewardship. Proportional Giving asks that we consider giving to the Church in proportion to our income. It begins with our current level of giving, and asks that we consider raising our pledge by one half a percent of our income each year.

For example, if one’s current level of giving is a yearly pledge of $2,000 based upon an income of $100,000; then one is giving 2% of their yearly income to the parish. Proportional Giving asks that one increase their giving by ½ % of one’s income. The household in this example would increase the percent given from 2% to 2 ½%, which yields a pledge of $2,500. The advantage of Proportional Giving is that every household is challenged to increase their giving in a way that is balanced and equitable. In Proportional Giving, stewardship is spread out over the entire wealth of the parish. Proportional Giving provides a method to steadily work towards the goal of tithing and to ensure the continued vitality of the Church.

Moving forward, our Vestry has already committed to Proportional Giving as an important means towards assuring the future health of Saint Matthew’s. Restoring our parish to financial health will be an important aspect of our journey together. I look forward to your Participation.

With thanks and blessings,

Fr. Eric+