Essay for November's Trumpet

As I write this essay, it’s late October. The evening sounds have quieted, and the streets of Olde Towne are silent. This evening was the annual Halloween party; to say it was a roaring success would be an understatement. We had dozens of children enjoying a wild time put on by the youth of Rite 13 and the EYC.

In many respects, this evening’s festivities brought home the message of stewardship… but more on that in a few paragraphs.

As you know, we are in the midst of our Fall Every Member Canvass. We are seeking your thoughtful and prayerful pledges for the financial support of the Parish and the work of the Church. Our canvass is well on the way, but it is, by no means, nearly complete. We sent out 235 pledge cards; according the latest report from our pledge secretaries Bill Lorkiewicz and Nell Shay, we’ve received back 70 cards for a total pledge amount of a tad under $110,000. Needless to say, we’re not even halfway to our goal.

Stewardship, as you likely remember, is taking care of all that has been entrusted to us. Each of us has been given much; how we take care of it, what we do with it, well, that is the ultimate question about stewardship. Certainly in my own life, I have been blessed with much, and what I do with that which has entered into my life is the question. Do I say “yes” or do I close up and do something which is not being a good steward?

Today as we drove home from services, I was struck by a thought. Many of us drive new cars; we pay monthly for our rides, either a lease payment or a loan payment. And, I’ll bet many of us are spending more on our car than we’re giving back to the church to do God’s work. We are putting material things first.

Now, I’m not suggesting this is true for all of us. And, I’m not suggesting that in today’s Hampton Roads you could really rely on public transportation for all your transportation needs. Owning a car is a necessity for most of us (although, wouldn’t it be great if public transportation did meet our needs through bus, rail, and ferry options… but that discussion is for another place, of course). Some of us probably drive cars we own outright; either we paid cash or we’ve paid off the loan. But many of us are shelling out cash for our rides, and we probably don’t think two seconds about stroking that check. But pledging to the Church? We think about that; we hem and we haw; we might even hesitate when we’re writing the check or clicking the electronic payment. I ask a simple question: how is it we can spend more on our car than we can for doing God’s work here on earth?

Enough on that; back to tonight’s Halloween party: how did this party relate to stewardship? Well, the youth of our parish worked together with the sponsors of the Rite 13 and EYC to create a fun time for the children of the parish. They pooled their resources and their talents. They recycled “stuff” from last year so they didn’t have to purchase everything again (and they packaged up leftover stuff from this party for next year’s). And, they did all the work without complaining and without asking for anything in return.

When we pledge and support the Parish, we pool our resources. The professional staff and lay volunteers care for what we give; waste is limited. What we give goes to support the programs, mission & outreach, and facilities of the parish. When we prayerfully consider our pledge we don’t complain and we don’t ask for anything in return. What we give we give with enthusiasm, gratitude, and love. And when we give, we grow in grace.

Please prayerfully consider your pledge. If you haven’t turned in a pledge card for the Every Member Canvass, please do so as soon as possible. Our ingathering is set for 7 November; please turn in your pledge cards before, and certainly no later, than the 7th. And, please return a pledge card even if you will not be pledging a set amount for 2005. This is an every member canvass, and without hearing from every member, it can’t be an every member canvass.

I invite you to visit our stewardship blog online for an ongoing discussion on stewardship and updates on the status of our canvass.

If you have any questions about stewardship at Trinity, please get in touch with me at by email or phone.

~~ Peter S.

Stewardship Report for Week of 17 October

Number of pledge cards sent: 235

Pledge cards returned to date: 70

Pledge cards indicating no pledge: 6

Pledge cards returned with pledge: 64

Total amount pledged by 57 current year pledgers: $98,409

Total amount pledged by 7 new pledgers: $9,080

Pledge from trust fund: $0

Number of persons increasing pledge: 29
Amount of increase in pledge: $10,023

Number of persons decreasing pledge: 7
Amount of decrease in pledge: $3,248

Overall pledged to date for 2005: $107,489

Current year (2004) total pledge: $233,194

Stewardship Report as of 15 October 2004

Number of pledge cards sent: 235

Pledge cards returned to date: 55

Pledge cards indicating no pledge: 5

Pledge cards returned with pledge: 50

Total amount pledged by 45 current year pledgers: $79,061

Total amount pledged by 5 new pledgers: $6,520

Pledge from trust fund: $o

Number of persons increasing pledge: 23
Amount of increase in pledge: $7,803

Number of persons decreasing pledge: 3
Amount of decrease in pledge: $1,052

Overall pledged to date for 2005: $85,581

Current year (2004) total pledge: $233,194

We are a community...

We have been entrusted with much, and it is up to us to care for it.

This past Sunday, I walked back to my pew after helping collect the offering. When I'd left, Jenny was sitting alone. When I slipped to the back of the church, I was certainly surprised to find no place left for me.

My older sons had come in from Sunday School, you suggest.

Nope. They were with their mother worshiping at her church across town.

Joining Jenny in the pew were Matthew, Madison, and Carter, three young people from two different families. Soon, young Elliot was with Madison and Carter; anyone looking would have thought I had a large family: a baby, a young son, and two daughters. Nope. We can only claim Elliot.

So, why do I raise this? I raise this because I think it speaks of our parish: we are a community. We have been entrusted with this community -- and our children -- and, to be good stewards, we must take care of our community and our children. What a blessing that my pew would be taken over by youngsters eager to share in our life: representatives of three families all sitting together as one.

As our every member stewardship canvas rolls along, please consider how you are caring for that which has been entrusted to you. Are you, metaphorically, opening your pew to others in the parish?

Formal Stewardship Report -- Week of 10/2/2004

Number of pledge cards sent: 235

Pledge cards returned to date: 16

Pledge cards indicating no pledge: 1

Pledge cards returned with pledge: 15

Total amount pledged by 13 current year pledgers: $28,404

Total amount pledged by 2 new pledgers: $3,180

Pledge from trust fund: $0

Number of persons increasing pledge: 7
Amount of increase in pledge: $1,840

Number of persons decreasing pledge: 0
Amount of decrease in pledge: $0

Overall pledged to date for 2005: $31,584

Current year (2004) total pledge: $233,194

First report on the Autumn Every-Member Canvas

The first pledge cards returned to the parish office have been tallied: 16 pledge cards were returned with a total pledge amount of $31,584.

I do hope that all the rest of us are prayerfully considering what has been entrusted to our care; how will use that which you have been blessed with?

Various aspects of stewardship

Monday night, and I'm reviewing the week past and looking forward to the week in front of me. The week behind me was chock-o-block full and the week ahead will find me two-blocked with a multitude of commitments.

A high point from the week past, however, was the Rite-13 liturgy. Sure, it's simple, and maybe it didn't mean much to you. For me, however, it was another visible reminder of stewardship at Trinity.

We have been blessed with youth; Mary and Madison exemplify our youth, and our future. To recognize them publicly, to acknowledge their coming of age, to support them now and in the years ahead -- all this is important.

Stewardship is caring for that which has been entrusted to us. We think, usually, of treasure, and time, and talent... and, perhaps, we usually think of stewardship in terms of "giving money to the church." But, it's more than that. And the Rite 13 liturgy is another demonstration of stewardship here at Trinity.

As you consider your role with stewardship here, please think about what strikes you: what have we been given that we are responsible for caring?

Sunday Kick-Off of Autumn Every-Member Canvas

Well, we kicked off today. My thanks to everyone who picked up their envelopes. And a huge thanks to those who have already turned in your pledge cards. We are well on the way to success; thank you.

As I mentioned during the services today, I encourage you to think about two things: what is stewardship & what role does it play in your life... and the idea of proportional giving.

As you know, stewardship is all about taking care of those things which have been entrusted to our care: our treasure, our talent, and our time. Our campaign this fall is about how we each take care of our treasure and what do we give back to the Almighty from which all things have come. Each of us has been given much; what are willing to turn back for the work of the Church and the Lord?

While we certainly want to strive for tithing, here at Trinity we recognize the idea of proportional giving: giving back some set proportion of our treasure. We must proactively and consciously decided what proportion we are giving back; once we know that proportion, we can work to increase it yearly.

Please, fellow Trinitarians, prayerfully consider your stewardship effort this fall. If you have any questions about our campaign, please get in touch with me.

Your prayerful consideration is requested

Here's the letter which went to all members of the parish...

Dear fellow Trinitarians:

We are, indeed, growing in the grace of God. And what a blessing it is to be a part of this parish family. Our corporate and individual work and worship is vitally important to our community, our neighbors, and us.

As you know, autumn is time for the start of our Christian formation year, Fall Fest and the Ghost Walk, our annual Parish Meeting, and our Every Member Canvas for stewardship. This last event is about more than just funding the activities of our parish. It is about taking stock; it is about doing good work with what God has entrusted to us. And He has given each of us plenty to watch over.

For those of you interested in the bottom line, let us go over a few numbers for you. This current year our total budget is $448,555 with just $235,468 funded by pledges. The remainder is funded by the endowment and other sources (yes, that’s 52% of the budget funded by pledges). While we are blessed with an endowment, we cannot rely on the endowment to fund “current operations.” To be good stewards of the endowment demands that each of us be good stewards of our own resources and give as mush as we can to the work of the Church. The cost to run the Parish comes to about $8,626 a week. Our average pledge is just over $2000 which funds not even a mere 2 days of our parish life.

We encourage you to prayerfully consider your pledge for 2005. Enclosed you will find a pledge card. Please complete the card and return it to the Parish Office in the enclosed envelope. Please return the completed card even if you are not pledging a set amount of money. This is an every member canvas, and we will not succeed in the canvas without full participation from every member of the parish.

For information and updates about stewardship at Trinity, please surf to http://trinityportsmouth-stewardship.blogspot.com. If you have questions about Stewardship at Trinity, please contact the Stewardship Chair or one of the others of us.

Please submit your Every Member pledge card as soon as possible. Our Ingathering of Pledges will be on Sunday, 8 November. If we haven’t received your card by 19 October, a member of the Stewardship Committee will be contacting you.

Yours in Christ,

Father Nagy
Rector

Jack Rose, Jr.
Senior Warden

Frank Jemmison III
Junior Warden

Peter Stinson
Stewardship Chair

The bottom line

Our budget this year is a touch under $450,000. That means it costs about $1250 a day to keep the doors open... Let's see; that means that a family which made $50,000 a year and tithed would fund four days of parish life.

And how many of us have made the commitment to tithe? At the very least, consider proportional giving: knowing the percentage of your income which you give to the Church. In this way, you can move toward the standard of tithing.

For readings on stewardship, check out this Episcopal church in California or this parish in Northern Virginia. Or this Catholic parish in Florida. Each of these parish's have stewardship efforts which are in alignment, philosophically, with our efforts here at Trinity. And, they provide good reads. I encourage you to surf over and check them out as you prayerfully consider your stewardship and gift to Trinity.