Stewardship Invitation
Dear Peter and Mary Family,
The past 20 months have been challenging for all of us in so many ways. In the midst of all the uncertainty and chaos, I have been grateful for the resilient community of Peter and Mary. I am blessed to be your vicar.
It is the time of year that we plan our budget for the following year and we are asking for your help. In 2021 we planned for a small deficit in our budget so that I could have a raise. The deficit has not increased from our original plan, but it is still a deficit.
We are able to carry a small deficit for a couple of years because we have no debt and a small savings account. We are very fortunate in so many ways, and we need to be realistic about our long-term future. The Bishop’s Committee has begun having some very fruitful conversations relating to our long-term vision and we will be inviting the congregation to share in these conversations beginning in the new year.
We are hopeful, and if we can create a non-deficit budget for 2022 we will be even more hopeful. We need your help to do that. The Episcopal Church has a tradition of asking for pledges (not unlike public radio and television). While members of Peter and Mary are very generous with their giving, we have not been excellent in filling out our pledge cards.
I am asking you this year, if you have not filled out a pledge card before, to please do so for 2022. It will help us in making our plans not only for next year, but for future years in the life of our community.
Over the next four weeks, we will be invited into conversations with each other around a series of questions.
Here is a link to preview the questions:
Please return your pledge cards by December 5 so that we can prepare our budget for 2022.
With gratitude and blessings,
Rebecca