A pledge to St. Mary’s is a financial promise and commitment to support our parish and its missions in the coming year. Your pledge is an act of faith that connects you more deeply to our church. Many find spiritual joy in making a generous pledge to support God’s work through the church. While pledges guide our budget for the year, they can be adjusted, up or down, if your circumstances change.

Members of the Episcopal Church are expected to support their parish through generous pledges of their time and talent (through volunteering) and treasure (through financial pledges). You are not required to pledge to attend services and participate in parish life, but you are expected to support your fair share of our parish expenses and operating costs, in proportion to your resources.

From a spiritual perspective, we are called upon to be generous and joyful givers of our time, talents and treasure, to support God’s church. Giving to support missions we believe in gives us joy, and makes us feel more connected to our parish. There are many opportunities to serve and get involved.

From a practical viewpoint, stewardship is a shared responsibility and duty that we undertake to care for and maintain our parish and its missions. It is the combined energy and financial support of families and individual members that make possible all that we are and do as a parish. Pledges and gifts provide roughly 70% of the funds for our annual parish budget. General donations, rental income and fundraising account for another 20-25%. Any shortfall must come from our investments.

We do have several funds which are like savings accounts which hold funds for specific ministries and account for about 50% of our investment account. The remaining 50% is available for withdrawal for operating expenses. As good stewards of the investments, we strive to preserve the principal for future needs or emergencies and use only a small draw (5 % of average principal) each year to offset a portion of our annual expenses. On average we have had to withdraw 8% annually from our investments to meet our budget needs.

No, we don’t—it’s the other way around! Episcopal churches are usually financially independent, raising most of their operating funds from members. Unlike some churches (e.g., Roman Catholic), we are not funded from the top down. Your pledges or gifts go directly to our parish, and we are then charged an annual assessment (Marks of Mission) to help fund the diocese, supporting it and the missions of the Episcopal Church throughout the world.

Pledges indicate your intended financial donation to the parish for the coming year. They convey a level of commitment that strengthens our bonds with the parish, and they are needed by the wardens and vestry for planning ahead responsibly. Gifts, while welcome and appreciated, usually cannot be foreseen or relied on for planning purposes.

We all receive many requests from worthwhile charities and organizations—but remember that St. Mary’s depends on a relatively small number of pledges (64) for the majority of its budget. Please give St. Mary’s a high place in your annual giving, and make a pledge that feels to you like a major gift!

This is a very personal decision, but there are guiding principles. The Biblical tithe of 10% of income is a worthy goal, and some members joyfully reach this pinnacle. At St. Mary’s, we suggest an initial goal of 5% of income, and encourage you to move up in increments of 1% of income towards a full (or fuller) tithe.

The Marks of Mission is the new name for what we used to call The Fair Share Pledge. That is, the amount the Diocese expects us to contribute toward the running of the Diocese. The amount is based on our past three years income.