Faithful Stewards
We recognize that the blessings we receive come from God’s abundant love for us, including the resources from which we are able to share our abundance in support of the work God calls us to do in our community. Being faithful stewards of those blessings is one of the ways that we express our gratitude for what we receive.
Until recently St. Peter’s has been fortunate to operate each year with a balanced budget. Like many churches, however, we experience the challenges of increased expenses that outpace our revenues. We enjoy significant support through the tithes of our members that allow us to maintain a rector, an office manager, janitorial support, and a part-time accompanist, as well as worship and education programs, outreach, and the maintenance of our property. We rely, as well, on a variety of fundraising endeavors, including the RaiseRight gift card program, to supplement what isn’t covered by member pledges.
We are grateful for the many ways that members of St. Peter’s contribute to our ministry through in-kind donations. An online form or a paper form to document these expenditures (for use by our members for their records) may be found at this link: In-Kind Donations. It is helpful to have this documentation shared with us so that we are aware of the scope of our members’ generosity. Please email the assistant treasurer the paper form with this information as you have it available. The online form automatically sends an email notification to the assistant treasurer.
We have been blessed. A dedicated group of men and women share the responsibility of planning and caring for our income and expenses. The parish treasurer, an assistant treasurer, a number of collection counters, and the finance commission (who helps prepare the budget) all work together. We track the pledges and issue quarterly reports. The Vestry approves the budget early in January and it is presented later in the month at the annual meeting.
Each fall we conduct a stewardship appeal, the results of which inform and support the budget for the coming year. Support is also received gratefully from others who occasionally support us with a donation.