Walking the Way: The 2015 Annual Giving Campaign

Letter sent to the members of St. John's Church on October 1, 2014.

On Sunday, October 5th, we will kick off our annual giving campaign: “Walking the Way.”

Over the next six weeks, we will journey together to explore how the practice of intentional giving deepens our walk with Christ and supports life-giving ministries to our community and beyond. Day by day, week by week, people in and around St. John’s experience their life of faith in new and deeper ways through your commitment. Your generosity generates mission and changes lives.

Here is the road map for our “Walking the Way” campaign:

During the next six weeks we will have Fall Open Houses at the homes of several parishioners. These gatherings are simply times for fellowship and to celebrate community with others from St. John’s.

Friday, October 10th from 6-8 PM at the home of Bradley Pace and Katie Elder, 456 Goose Creek Way, West Lafayette—childcare will be provided (This open house is especially for those who have joined the St. John’s community in the past year or were unable to attend one of the Rector’s open houses last year)
Friday, October 17th from 6-8 PM at the home of Annie and Sven Schreiber, 423 Jennings Street, West Lafayette—childcare will be provided
Saturday, October 18th from 6-8 PM at the Home of Sally and Steve Byrn, 824 Barlow, West Lafayette—childcare will be provided
Wednesday, October 22nd from 6-8 PM at the home of Maggie and Greg McClure, 6123 Naschette Parkway, West Lafayette

Drinks and hors d’oeuvres provided. Sign-up sheets will be in St. John’s Commons. RSVPs are requested, but are not required.

Beginning on Sunday, October 5th and continuing through Sunday, November 9th, you will find reflections included in the Sunday bulletin written by leaders from across the Episcopal Church, covering stewardship and faithful giving in connection with the Gospel readings for the day.

The week of October 26th, you will receive a pledge card in the mail. Over the next six weeks, we ask that you prayerfully consider what your pledge to the ministry and mission of St. John’s Church will be.

Please bring your pledge card to worship on Sunday, November 9th. That Sunday, we will celebrate Commitment Sunday, the culmination of the journey, when pledges will be completed and offered as an act of our corporate worship.

Father Bradley, members of the vestry, and the stewardship ministry team have set a goal of receiving 100% of pledge commitments from our worshiping community. We pray that each of you will remain open to letting the Holy Spirit lead and guide you in a faithful response. Moreover, we pray that your giving will come from a deep and abiding sense of gratitude for the gift of this community and the gift we have in Jesus, the one who does not leave our side in our walk of faith. We believe that our own walk is deepened when we give from a grace-filled and grateful heart, not by calculating “our fair share” or “what I can afford”. After all, giving generously gives one strength and hope for the journey ahead.

Thank you for Walking the Way in hope and faith. Blessings on your journey.

Yours in Christ,

Pledge Online

Heidi Kauffman Greg McClure

Barbara Powell Cynthia Stauffacher

Letter sent to the members of St. John's Church on October 10, 2014.

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him.
-Colossians 2:6

I’m delighted that you have found St. John’s Church to be a welcoming place for spiritual refreshment and pastoral care, for worship and music, and for Christian service to our community. We are blessed by your presence and fellowship.

One of the important ways you can support St. John’s is through an annual pledge. This year, the theme for the annual giving campaign is Walking the Way, a theme emphasizing the practice of giving as an essential part of following the Way of Jesus. Over the next several weeks, we will encourage one another to grow in our awareness of the many gifts God has bestowed upon us, including the gift of our Savior and the gift of this faith community. Walking the Way—the Way of Jesus Christ, the Way of the early Church, the way of the saints at St. John’s Church who came before us—requires an awareness of these gifts. At the same time, as we become aware of God’s gifts to us, including the gift that is the St. John’s community, we will want to give back. This is an essential element of the Way we are called to walk as Christians.

There are, of course, the practical considerations of our ministry at St. John’s. The parish’s budget funds the ministries—the worship and music, the formation, the parish life, the administration and support, and more—that help make this a wonderful parish community. It is important to understand that over 70% of St. John’s income comes from those pledges made during the annual giving campaign. Commitments made during the annual giving campaign allow the parish leadership to plan the budget.

In consultation with other members of St. John’s leadership, the executive committee has determined that it will take around $470,000 to fully fund St. John’s ministries in 2015. That sets the goal for this year’s campaign at $340,000.

If fully funded, this year’s budget would include a few changes over last year’s budget. For instance, this budget includes money to renovate and refurbish St. John’s Commons and to increase the parish contribution to the St. John’s/LUM Food Pantry. In addition, the budget includes increased funding for youth programs, parish life and hospitality, greeter ministries, performance raises for lay staff, and cost-of-living adjustments for clergy. While this total and the new initiatives are subject to revision, they represent a reasonable look at our fiscal hopes and plans. If you have questions or would like more information about the draft budget, please do not hesitate to contact me directly or speak with a member of the Executive Committee—Sr. Warden Lloyd Brewer, Jr. Warden Heather Johnston Nicholson, or Finance Chair Rachel Shook. You are also encouraged to speak with a member of St. John’s Vestry any time you have a question. The vestry and other leadership understand the importance of this year’s campaign, and members have already pledged their commitment. You will receive a pledge card the week of October 26th. With the information included in this letter in hand, please prayerfully consider pledging your financial support to St. John’s.

The life of faith is a journey we make together, not a solo expedition. The annual giving campaign is a time set aside to reflect on how this community has nurtured you and your family in the walk of faith. It is a time to reflect on how the practice of intentional giving deepens your walk with Christ. We are a pilgrim people, meaning together we strive and support one another in taking on the mind of Christ. Jesus called himself “the Way.” A popular refrain that is said on the pilgrims’ journey is “the Way is made by walking.” Transformation comes through practice. I invite you, then, to pray these words during our campaign—the Way is made by walking. As we pray this prayer together, it is my hope that we will hear the Holy Spirit calling us to walk in love as Christ loved us.

We are all on a faith journey, and I give thanks for having you for my companions as we walk the Way of Jesus.

Sincerely,
The Rev. Dr. Bradley Pace
Rector