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Stewardship Program at St. Patrick’s 2010-11
The Power of Saints
This fall, we invite you to reflect on the saints in your life: the people who have been your life changers, your uplifters, your inspiration. Each generation has its saints—well-known and home-town—who respond to God’s love with active love for others and with commitment, caring, and giving.
A New Generation of Saints
We can follow their direction in our renewed St. Patrick’s mission. In parish surveys, you told us you want to do more to help youth and children, the local Hispanic community, newcomers and visitors, seekers, and the suffering. You want to serve openly, collaboratively, locally, hands on. We can do that with your financial pledges, time, and talent—in God’s name, as a new generation of saints.
An Invitation to Stewardship
Please help advance St. Patrick’s vision to be “The Church for Others” through your good stewardship. Our goal is 100% parish participation in proportionate giving. That means we all devote shares of our personal resources—money, time, and talent—to God’s work on a regular schedule. If we take bold steps together, for the glory of God and the benefit of others, we make long strides. Your financial pledge for 2011 is essential to our progress: a powerful sign that you intend to reach out with what God has given you.
November 7: All Saints’ Day and Commitment Sunday, 9:00 am–12:30 pm: Give thanks for the saints in our lives in special remembrances in the Columbarium and sanctuary. Lift up our abundant life together as we present our financial pledges in gratitude at the altar. Enjoy a parish potluck at coffee hour!
January 2011: Learn about our new 2011 goals and activities at the Annual Meeting and how you can offer your gifts of time and talent to support them.
The Steps of Proportionate Giving
How do we approach proportionate giving?
First, we look at what we have in income, time, and talent. Second, we commit to give a portion of these resources specifically for God’s work. Third, we define that portion as a percentage of our resources—our personal standard of giving—keeping the biblical tithe of 10% in mind and moving toward it. Fourth, we decide the size of our financial pledge and where to give our time and talent in the year ahead.
The first three steps are related directly to our understanding of stewardship and why we give at all. The fourth step determines how much we give and the ministries we serve.
Ask yourself . . . what percentage of your income do you currently pledge? In light of your estimates for the year ahead, we ask you to consider increasing your standard of giving—the percentage of your income that you now pledge—by at least 1% in your 2011 pledge.