Lay Led Groups Stewardship
Generosity Campaign - 2010 A hearty and warm welcome to our annual pledge drive! What a great year to be part of the fastest growing liberal religious organization in Central Pennsylvania! I hope you’re all ready to emerge on the other side of the storm – both winter and economic – that’s been facing us this year. I know I’m ready for a bright spring! On March 14th, following the soul-stirring service provided by our Unisingers at 11:00 am at our Market Street campus, you are invited to attend our Stewardship Brunch Celebration served by our Common Ground Café team. We will enjoy music by the Messiah Jazz Combo, and following a few short speeches, you will have an opportunity to ask questions and turn in your pledge card. We also have a number of new things to share with you. First of all, many folks are probably asking themselves, “What did I pledge last year?” Great news – you can get that information yourself securely via the internet, and instructions can be found here. When we implemented our new software package last year, we received the ability to provide you with secure internet access to your personal information and account records. Now you can check your pledging and giving history at your convenience! If you don’t have access to the internet, and need to know what you pledged last year, feel free to call me. Second, several folks have asked if we could collect their pledge via electronic funds transfer. Great news again - we’ve talked to the bank, signed all the paperwork, and starting with your 2010-11 pledge (first payment due in July) you can now select the option of having your pledge payment sent electronically to UCH. It improves our cash flow and accuracy as well as helps the environment! Please print off this form to be filled out with a voided check attached. You can bring that to the Stewardship Brunch on March 14th if you like, drop it off at the church or mail it to the office. If you have any questions, please check our FAQ. If you’ve been on the fence about either pledging for the first time or increasing your pledge, look no further for the reason to do just that - we are a Breakthrough Congregation! Many folks are curious as to why we won the award since it appeared to come from out of the blue. Howard has provided some insight into that process in this note to the congregation. But from my perspective, it means we are being recognized for “doing church” right. We are welcoming people into our midst, and providing everyone the spiritual nourishment they need, but we’re also looking beyond ourselves and opening our doors to our neighbors to try to make a difference in our surrounding community. To me this means not only have we been faithful stewards of your generous gifts in the past, but we are a worthy recipient of your future gifts. Sneak preview of the Visioning Process!! Some of you attended the visioning session in January, and may be wondering what’s next. Howard has used that framework to provide updates on one aspect – what we’ve accomplished at Market Street, as well what some our plans for the future include. If anyone doubts why the work we do is good work, or whether we are making a difference, I invite you to visit Market Street on the second and last Saturday mornings and help serve breakfast to our neighbors in the community. To have this kind of opportunity available to us is a gift! And I’m sure once you’ve read this insert, you’ll be eager to see the rest of the visioning report. There is one other item I’d like to bring to your attention in the Financial Stewardship brochure. In previous years, I’ve shown you where the money went. This year, I’ve shown you where the money comes from, and from this chart you can see just how important your pledges are. You’ll see that almost 80% of our operating budget comes from pledges. The danger in this is that we are dependent on additional sources of income to meet our budget. Imagine if we could meet our entire operating budget by pledges alone, and our annual fundraising activities such as the auction, yard sale and gift card purchases could be used for special community outreach projects. That can happen, but only with your continued generosity! If everyone were giving at 3-10% of their income, we could fund 100% of our operating budget without any problems. If you are not yet giving 3-10% of your income, please consider taking steps this year to reach that personal stretch goal. If you have any questions about any of this, please do not hesitate to call or email me! Once again, thanks for your generous support of the good work we do here at the Unitarian Church of Harrisburg! Sincerely, |
