Stewardship at St. Luke's
A Guide to Financial Giving
Give what you can, and give it cheerfully -- the point isn't the amount of your annual pledge to St. Luke's, but the attitude with which it is made. Responsible and disciplined financial stewardship -- giving back to God a portion of what God has given us -- is critical to spiritual health. Give freely, bountifully to God's work through the work of our parish, and we will all reap boutifully -- internally, in running the parish, and externally in our many important outreach ministries.
Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and make good your vows to the Most High. Psalm 50:14
Ascribe to the Lord the honor due his Name; bring offerings and come into his courts. Psalm 96:8
Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:2
2012 Stewardship Campaign
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
Thanks to all who have pledged for this year. St. Luke's continues to be blessed, as evidenced by the response from our parishioners in this year's stewardship campagin. Our economy is still fairly sluggish; however, the people of St. Luke's stepped up in record fashion to support our ministries.
For this year's campaign, we received pledges in the amount of $443,304. While this is a record amount, the number of those pledging acutally decreased from 172 last year to 165 for 2012.
We certainly appreciate our parish members' devotion and support for our ministries in sharing the love of Christ. Our stewardship committee and parish leadership are committed to expanding our stewardship program and exploring ways to create a culture of joyful giving. Look for updates and information about stewardship on our website and in The Heart of St. Luke's.
A Note from Our Rector
Stewardship Q & A
Q: Who selects the stewardship committee; who is on it; and what are its responsibilities?
A: The committee is a vestry committee selected by the Rector in accordance with the By-laws. Its key member is its chair, Lou Patten, who heads the annual Stewardship Campaign. Its other essential members are the Treasurer (Bill Littlejohn), Senior Warden (Lou Patten), and of course, Father Joel. The other members at this time are John Hagler, Cathy Hixson, Justin Hosie, Amy Lillios, and Jerry Lowery.
The Committee has two responsibilities: First, to support its chair in the annual Stewardship Campaign; and second, to implement plans and furnish information to assist parishioners in deciding their own individual stewardship responsibilities and goals.
Q: How did this year's stewardship campaign go, and what is the financial condition of our parish at this time? (March 2012)
A: At the Annual Parish Meeting, our treasurer announced that, "St. Luke's is in a solid financial position." Lou Patten announced that despite a still sluggish economy, we "stepped up in record fashion to support our mininstries." The pledged amount is a 2.3% increase over 2011, which allows us to increase the budget by that approximate amount.
Q: If St. Luke's is in sound financial condition for 2012 and if our pledged income has increased 2.3% over 2011, why does the committee feel compelled to start a conversations about stewardship and revenue facts and numbers in March 2012, after a "successful" campagin?
A: There are several issues which, if not squarely addressed, could adversely impact our financial health and that of our ministries in any one year or even for years. For example, Dave Smith, our former long-term chair, and present chair, Lou PAtten, have consistently warned us that our pledge giving is too "top heavy." In the 2011 campaign, 12% or only 25 pledges accounted for 50% of our total pledge income. Moreover, 7 of these 25 pledges (out of 165) accounted for 25% of our total revenue. Also, the 2011 campaign saw the number of pledges decrease from 172 to 165.
As Lou explained at the Annual Meeting, our committee is responsible for "exploring ways to create a culture of joyful giving." A vital aspect of this goal is to enusre that all of us have the necessary revenue facts and numbers to weigh along with our own individual private facts and resources in order to make a truly informed as well as truly prayerful return of thanks to Christ, the foundation of our beloved parish and our mission as God's people.