Stewardship Campaign 2011

Dear Parish Community,

As we approach our 2011 Stewardship Campaign, I give great thanks for the steady improvement made by our Parish in providing financial support for the mission and ministry of St. Matthew’s. For the past year we have been engaged in an extended conversation to determine how to best deploy our resources to respond to Christ’s call to serve the world. A wonderful part of that conversation has been a growing awareness of the great potential for the future of our Parish.

Several years ago St. Matthew’s ranked near the bottom of similar sized parishes in the Diocese of California in the category of average annual pledge. Our improved stewardship combined with the recent Pimper bequest has enhanced our ability to add staff to support new programs. The attached tables highlight the new and expanded programs that we hope to put in place in 2011 with your proportional increase in pledge support.

Improving our yearly stewardship will continue to be the key towards strengthening the infrastructure of our common life together. I believe that we can rightly celebrate the gains that we have made in improving our stewardship while at the same time acknowledging that our journey towards financial health is not finished.

For a fourth consecutive year, our Vestry has demonstrated their leadership by committing to the practice of Proportional Giving. The Vestry’s enthusiasm for our future is demonstrated by their increased giving for 2011 which already is at a level of over double the Parish average. Considering our difficult financial times, I realize that not everyone will be in a position to increase their pledge and some may find that due to circumstances they may have to cut back. The great benefit of Proportional Giving is that the financial health of the Parish is spread over the entire wealth of the Parish.

The great majority of our yearly Parish budget comes from the pledges of our Parishioners. Pledging allows the Parish to plan with greater certainty our income for the upcoming year. 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 by participating in our program of Proportional Giving and completing a Pledge Card. You can use the enclosed description of Stewardship and Proportional Giving to help determine a 1/2 of one percent pledge for your income.

Your participation in our 2011 Stewardship Campaign is greatly valued and an important part of our journey together. We will venture to collect all completed Pledge Cards at our Services on Sunday October 24th. May God continue to bless your faith journey.

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+