Grow, Serve, Give
Make a Pledge for 2022
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View parishioner Claudia Smith's reading of the poem she has composed for the gathering of our 2022 pledges.
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Be Intentional, make a pledge commitment for 2022. Be Generous and give first to the work of God here at St. Anthony on the Desert. Commit to increasing the Proportion of your income you pledge. |
"Growing Our Faith Through Giving"
The Rev. Bruce Jackson, October 17, 2021 |
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, honor God with your first fruits.
Proverbs 3:5-9
Proverbs 3:5-9
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August 20, 2021
Dear Friends,
We are writing you as the wardens of St. Anthony to share our views on financial stewardship and what that means for this parish and your part in it.
A generosity of spirit—the glad giving of time, talent and treasure—pervades this place. Because of your generosity, St. Anthony punches well above its weight. We are financially sound, even in the time of COVID-19, not because of a big endowment (we have a modest one) or the largess of a few (seen many Mercedes in the parking lot lately?), or slick financial engineering. No, we are able to afford a mission-driven agenda, the upkeep of a beautiful worship space, and a paid clergy, worship and administrative staff because over 70% of the money needed to fund such efforts comes directly from the pledges and special gifts of you and the 100-plus households you represent.
At the heart of our financial stewardship campaign this year is the call to give back to God’s church a portion of the abundance each and every one of us enjoys from God. It’s a concept grounded in Scripture, not in a spreadsheet, and one your entire Vestry supports (see the attached covenant.) As Jesus explains in Matthew 6:27, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
This is proportionate giving, motivated by growing in faith, serving God, and giving accordingly. For some, that may mean starting with 2% or 3% of annual income as a pledged amount for 2022, and then planning to increase that percentage in later years. For others, the Biblical tithe, or 10% of one’s income, is just the start. Either way, we are asked to, as Proverbs 3:5-9 puts it, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, honor God with your first fruits.”
In the weeks ahead, you will hear testimonials from parishioners about the impact of St. Anthony on their lives, you will receive postcards highlighting some of the ways we serve God’s people, you will get a pledge card, and you will be asked by our wonderful Interim Rector, Fr. Bruce Jackson, to bring your pledge to an in-gathering on Sunday, Oct. 24.
In Christ’s Name,
Dan Austin, Senior Warden Claudia Johnson, Junior Warden
Dear Friends,
We are writing you as the wardens of St. Anthony to share our views on financial stewardship and what that means for this parish and your part in it.
A generosity of spirit—the glad giving of time, talent and treasure—pervades this place. Because of your generosity, St. Anthony punches well above its weight. We are financially sound, even in the time of COVID-19, not because of a big endowment (we have a modest one) or the largess of a few (seen many Mercedes in the parking lot lately?), or slick financial engineering. No, we are able to afford a mission-driven agenda, the upkeep of a beautiful worship space, and a paid clergy, worship and administrative staff because over 70% of the money needed to fund such efforts comes directly from the pledges and special gifts of you and the 100-plus households you represent.
At the heart of our financial stewardship campaign this year is the call to give back to God’s church a portion of the abundance each and every one of us enjoys from God. It’s a concept grounded in Scripture, not in a spreadsheet, and one your entire Vestry supports (see the attached covenant.) As Jesus explains in Matthew 6:27, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
This is proportionate giving, motivated by growing in faith, serving God, and giving accordingly. For some, that may mean starting with 2% or 3% of annual income as a pledged amount for 2022, and then planning to increase that percentage in later years. For others, the Biblical tithe, or 10% of one’s income, is just the start. Either way, we are asked to, as Proverbs 3:5-9 puts it, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, honor God with your first fruits.”
In the weeks ahead, you will hear testimonials from parishioners about the impact of St. Anthony on their lives, you will receive postcards highlighting some of the ways we serve God’s people, you will get a pledge card, and you will be asked by our wonderful Interim Rector, Fr. Bruce Jackson, to bring your pledge to an in-gathering on Sunday, Oct. 24.
In Christ’s Name,
Dan Austin, Senior Warden Claudia Johnson, Junior Warden
Our Covenant: the St. Anthony Vestry on Stewardship
In Proverbs 3: 5-9, we are asked to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, honor God with your first fruits.”
This fall, when we place special emphasis on financial stewardship, we take these verses from Proverbs to heart, asking our parishioners to show gratitude for God’s many gifts by pledging a portion of their income to St. Anthony and the work of the Kingdom done here. We further ask that our people commit to increasing in coming years the proportion of income that is given, remembering that the Biblical standard is the tithe or 10 percent.
If we are to talk the talk of stewardship, we must walk it as well. Thus, your vestry has unanimously adopted this stewardship covenant with our Lord:
We, members of the Vestry of St. Anthony, believe that stewardship is the sharing of God’s abundance through gifts of time, talent and treasure. In gratitude, we therefore pledge these gifts to the work of God’s Kingdom here at St. Anthony.
We further pledge to give a portion of our individual income to the parish
in support of God’s work, committing to increase that proportion in the years ahead.
In Christ’s Name,
The Rev. Bruce Jackson Dan Austin Claudia Johnson Barbara Ells
Barbara Goldstein Cathy Gomez Bobbi Macy Jeanne Paige
Mary Vanselow Celia Warren Brian Wright
In Proverbs 3: 5-9, we are asked to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, honor God with your first fruits.”
This fall, when we place special emphasis on financial stewardship, we take these verses from Proverbs to heart, asking our parishioners to show gratitude for God’s many gifts by pledging a portion of their income to St. Anthony and the work of the Kingdom done here. We further ask that our people commit to increasing in coming years the proportion of income that is given, remembering that the Biblical standard is the tithe or 10 percent.
If we are to talk the talk of stewardship, we must walk it as well. Thus, your vestry has unanimously adopted this stewardship covenant with our Lord:
We, members of the Vestry of St. Anthony, believe that stewardship is the sharing of God’s abundance through gifts of time, talent and treasure. In gratitude, we therefore pledge these gifts to the work of God’s Kingdom here at St. Anthony.
We further pledge to give a portion of our individual income to the parish
in support of God’s work, committing to increase that proportion in the years ahead.
In Christ’s Name,
The Rev. Bruce Jackson Dan Austin Claudia Johnson Barbara Ells
Barbara Goldstein Cathy Gomez Bobbi Macy Jeanne Paige
Mary Vanselow Celia Warren Brian Wright