On Sunday, September 18, we kicked off our 2023 Stewardship Campaign, “Living Faith & Life Together.” For many, this is a familiar part of the rhythm of our fall, but for some of us, it is either new or not yet a part of our personal financial stewardship. We’d like to challenge you to step into this critical aspect of our loving ministry to one another, of our community life together, and of our Christian ministry to the communities around us. Our life as a parish is funded by the pledges of each one of us, and our pledge is an integral part of our participation in Epiphany’s life and mission.
Our $1.2 million campaign goal represents a 15.7% increase over 2022’s pledges and is the second step in last fall’s stated goal to increase Epiphany’s pledge income by 30% over a 2-year period to support new ministries and initiatives such as Midweek, Word and Table and welcoming Janelle Hiroshige as our Associate for Youth and Community Partnerships. While it is still early in Epiphany’s 2023 budget cycle, it is our hope that increased pledge revenue will cover:
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$85K in new compensation costs including salary and healthcare increases for existing staff, a full year of Janelle’s ministry with us, and new administrative staffing to support increased marketing and communication in support of growing ministries.
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$30K in new program and operating costs (net of reductions), primarily in growing and emerging ministries, and also including a $10K increase to the preventative maintenance provision which hasn’t been increased in many years despite the continued aging of our buildings.
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$30K to rebuild the General Fund, which has been diminished by recent operating deficits, in an effort to provide a prudent level of support and flexibility in the face of current uncertain economic conditions.
An additional goal this year is to increase the number of us who pledge and to reduce our reliance on a small (and very generous) portion of the parish for a significant portion of our budget. Last year 10% of those pledging contributed 50% of our pledge revenues. We can meet this goal if 50 of us pledge for the first time and if those of us who can pledge at a higher level. Many of you have asked what you should pledge. The answer is different for each of us but consider what it means for you to integrate your financial commitment with other aspects of your life in this community. If you haven’t pledged before, please consider making your first pledge of any amount. If you have pledged before, thank you. If you are able, consider increasing you pledge in support of the initiatives noted above. Please reach out to anyone on the Stewardship Committee (stewardship@3crowns.org) or Vestry if you have questions or would like to talk more about any of this.
This Sunday (October 2), we will gather in Hadley Hall after the 10:00 am service for a State of the Church forum to share our priorities, hopes, and challenges for the coming year as well as to answer any questions that you may have. We will also plan to have a more informal discussion in Hadley Hall following the 8:00 am service. We hope that you will join us and be an active part of the discussion of where we are headed.
Nelia Newell, warden
