Stewardship
And taking the five loaves and the two fish, Jesus looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces. Luke 9:16-17, NRSV
Dear Fellow Servant,
As we continue this year’s stewardship campaign, I first want to thank everyone at Church of the Servant for their service, prayers, and financial support over the last year.
There is so much that goes on at COS – Christian formation offerings, our group working toward racial equity in our society, our excellent Christian education programs for children and youth, pastoral care for one another, fellowship through parish life events, three wonderful and varied Sunday worship services in a beautiful sanctuary, and the many opportunities to serve others beyond our walls, through our outreach ministries.
It is stewardship in its many forms that keeps these programs and activities going. While the focus of this letter and this month’s stewardship campaign is on financial resources, I do want to recognize the other forms of stewardship that are so vital. The gifts of leadership, creativity, and service are essential.
Stewardship in the form of financial resources is necessary for the future health and well-being of our parish as well. Staff compensation and building maintenance make up the majority of our budget and those costs go up every year. Financial pledges have not kept pace however, and the financial picture is concerning.
The fact is, our church income has not been enough to meet expenses for a number of years, and for the most recent two years the church has been functioning with a deficit budget. Before that the budget was supplemented by reserves from previous years, when staff expenses were lower due to the transition between rectors. The good news is that our parish is growing again as the pandemic eases, and all seems to be getting back to normal. To continue to do the things that mean so much to us at COS we need to increase the number of pledging households by 20% and total parish income by at least 10%.With this increased support we can move ahead to a sustainable future.
Some people question the need for pledges. The answer is simple – our Finance Committee will be working on our 2023 budget next month, and they need to have a good idea of what the church’s income will be. I also personally believe that when we pledge we are part of something bigger than ourselves. We can do great things, and will have more than enough, if we each pledge what we can.
Please prayerfully consider increasing your pledge for the year 2023. You can use the paper pledge card or Online pledge form. Your giving can be managed online also by clicking on the GIVE button at the top right side of this page or here.
The story from Luke’s Gospel at the beginning of this letter is about faith, love, generosity, and trust. I think this story is told at Church of the Servant every day.
Faithfully,
Margie Hickman
Vestry Liaison for Stewardship
