STEWARDSHIP
All of US Together Again2010-2011
All of Us Together Again - Stewardship Campaign
Stewardship is taking responsibility and ownership. Stewards minister to the people and institutions they care about. They insure resources are available in abundance and utilized wisely. This is all of our responsibility, we are all stewards of this church.
The goals of the First Unitarian Society's 2010/2011 Stewardship Campaign are to:
As part of the campaign, the Stewardship Team will be hosting after-service Sunday Brunches on March 14, 21 and 28. These brunches give everyone an opportunity to meet with other UUs, talk about how each of you fit into the church, what about the church is important to all of you, and what innovative programs you would like to see the congregation take on in the coming year. We want to encourage you to pledge your financial support of the church, but as important we want to encourage you to spend some time visiting with someone you have not yet had the pleasure of getting to know. So when you get the stewardship mailing, select the brunch you want to attend, indicate your responses either on line at or on the enclosed addressed postcard, and look forward to a delightful experience. We are offering you a relaxed setting to enjoy fellowship and wonderful food. Childcare will be provided. For folks not able to attend a brunch, we can arrange a home visit.
Radical Hospitality, Faithful Generosity
While attending a concert at Saint Paul Church down the block I was taken by two long banners framing the pulpit. The left one read Radical Hospitality the right, Faithful Generosity. Here was a church proclaiming its values, values I hope we in this congregation share and practice.
Radical Hospitality: gladly welcoming into our community all that come through the door. Making space for them; helping them move from visitor to member, even while knowing each new member will bring change. It is easy to welcome a friend into your home, more challenging, the stranger, and most difficult of all, the stranger you perceive as other. And yet living our UU principle of valuing the worth and dignity of each and every person it is our calling to extend that welcome to all and in doing so become a blessed community. Faithful Generosity: Does this mean giving dependably, on a fixed, agreed upon schedule so others can count on your generosity? Or does it mean deeply believing in the principle of giving to others? Believing in the rightness of sharing your gifts, working with others to make your shared vision manifest. Is it your faith that compels you to give, your faith even beyond your reason that makes you donate your energy and money to causes you believe in? As I said our church is getting ready for its annual stewardship pledge drive. That time of year when we talk and talk and talk about money.
Over the next 6 weeks you will hear our minister and church leaders talk about why it is important for all of us together to make a financial pledge to support the opportunities, programs and services this congregation offers. You will hear how our Religious Education program helps parents raise thoughtful, compassionate children, and provides adults opportunities to explore and expand their personal theology. You will hear how the care committee is reaching out to members in need and congregants who haven't been to church in a while. You'll hear about the work our social justice council is doing in collaboration with other organizations in the community on the important issues of our times. All of this is funded by your faithful and generous pledges. In the coming weeks we will send you an invitation to attend one of the after service brunches hosted by the Stewardship team and a brochure with letters from the church leaders with reasons for pledging, graphs showing how the church is funded, and where these funds are spent as well as a suggested giving guide, to help you decide how much you want to pledge.
There will be pledge cards available throughout the church and on-line. As each pledge is received a new paper chain person will appear on the walls of the parlor, acknowledging the pledge. Hopefully during the campaign the number of these paper dolls will overtake the walls of the parlor displaying the depth of our commitment to this church.
We, the members of the stewardship team have faith. We believe that we can achieve our goal of 300 pledges, up from 270 last year.
We have faith in you, the congregation, faith that you believe this church plays an important role in your life and you want to support it as best you can.
We have faith that openly talking about the need for all of us together to support our church will take the mystery out of our church's finances and encourage meaningful conversations and better understandings.
We have faith, faith all of us together will display faithful generosity during this pledge campaign and throughout the coming year so that our church can continue its ministry to all of us together. Thank you.
Joan Lewis, Captain of the Stewardship Team
Stewardship Team for 2010-11
If you have a question about our stewardship campaign, please contact one of the following committee members:
Carol Whitlow...351-5103
Jeannette Knapp...272-3367
Joan Lewis...229-4300
John Feavearyear...689-0944
Jonathan Cook...387-3938
Margaret Nichols...273-3772
Maureen Cowen...257-6332
Michelle Kiefer...257-9115
Monty Berman...272-1809
Natalie Detert...319-4637
Rick Hendrick...207-7879
Sam Weeks...220-4867
Suzanne Kramer...279-3333
Terry Starr...257-7620
[Brochure copy for 2010-2011 campaign]