Spring and the Annual Stewardship Drive

It’s the time of year when mud sounds good, when we can’t wait for the snow to melt and the forsythia to bloom. It’s also the time of the year when the First Church Parish Board turns its attention toward budgeting and the annual stewardship drive.

First Church Parish Board 2010/2011

You will begin to hear about the annual stewardship drive starting this coming Sunday, March 13. We are lucky to have a caring and generous congregation, but we are not perfect  – we can certainly do better.

Members’ and friends’ pledges fund everything we do at First Church from worship and music to children’s religious education.  Last year we had about 85% participation in the annual stewardship drive - let's strive for 100% this year! Every adult who participates in church life really should pledge. Any pledge amount is acceptable, if it's what you can afford, but we want to hear from you.

·      Your pledge is a promise for what you can give for the entire church fiscal year, July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012. Please consider a monthly pledge amount, beginning in July, that totals more annually than what you gave last year. Not only may you find it is easier to give more generously, but a monthly payment will help the Church’s cash flow.

·      The average household annual pledge required to operate our church programs and facilities is about $1900. Many families and individuals pledge more.  Please give thought to the role First Church plays in the life of you and your family, our church community, the Belmont community, and the world outside our church, and pledge an amount that reflects your aspirations for First Church.

This year, Bruce Kozuma, baritone in our senior choir, husband of Livia Racz (co-chair of the Transylvania Partner Church Committee) and dad of Hanna and Emma, agreed to lead the stewardship drive team. He’s been doing an amazing job managing all the pieces in a compressed amount of time, and he’s been a lot of fun to work with.

Emma, Bruce, and Hanna (Livia is behind the camera)

You can find more information about this year’s stewardship drive at the Stewardship page on the church’s website Annual Stewardship Drive. You can make your pledge online there too!

One thing Bruce and I have learned as we’ve immersed ourselves in UUA stewardship literature and conversations with other churches and past stewardship drive chairs is that there’s way too much for each new parish board and annual stewardship team to learn every year. Developing stewardship best practices in a church our size takes years of planning, communicating, listening, and work.

The Parish Board has decided that it’s time First Church had a standing Stewardship Committee of about five to seven key members who will work year round to develop and manage not just the annual budget drive, which can take many months, but also rekindle or initiate other pieces of a robust stewardship program. A visiting steward team, educational workshops on finance and giving, our planned giving program, ad hoc fundraisers, and potential future capital campaigns, all deserve the attention of a dedicated team.

The Parish Board will approve the Stewardship Committee charter and charter members by the end of March. The creation of this committee represents a new way of thinking about congregational stewardship. If you are interested in the work of this very important team, please contact either Bruce Kozuma or me, Martha Gallagher.

As always, the Parish Board is open to questions or comments you have relating to the annual stewardship drive, church finances, or the work of the church. Please contact any member of the board Parish Board Contacts.