Saint Michael & All Angels

What are the dates for Collecting Stewardship Pledges this year?

Pledge cards are due December 1st.  We will then report pledge totals to the finance committee. You can make a pledge at any time.  To pledge online, CLICK HERE.
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What is our target for stewardship pledges this year?

We are seeking to collect pledges of $6 million dollars in 2012. The Vestry has set this target in order to enable Saint Michael to continue to deliver its rich variety of programs and ministries. While these are uncertain economic times, many of us now depend on our church more than ever. A budget of $6 million dollars allows us to take advantage of our opportunities to serve God’s kingdom on earth, to serve the needs of our congregation, and to build a foundation for ministries in our future.
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 What is the purpose of collecting stewardship pledges?

At a very basic level, stewardship pledges provide the means for the church to plan for the coming year of ministries and worship activities that accomplish, on a daily basis, the work of Christ in the world. Specifically, the stewardship pledging effort recurs annually to provide an expectation of contributions in the coming year needed to create our budget.  That budget includes everything we need to run the church — e.g., worship services, Sunday school for children and adults, operations and maintenance of the building, staff salaries, mission and outreach, music programs, pastoral care, etc. We ask that you consider setting aside a portion of your “first fruits” to support the daily life and work of the church. 

Capital campaigns are different. Capital campaigns are intended to address long-term goals that are beyond the scope of our regular budget.
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How can we avoid what happened last year when our lack of pledges resulted in a shortfall in funds, necessitating budget and personnel cuts?

Please make a sacrificial pledge this year! Our 2011 operating budget will be based on the pledges we receive this fall. In order for Saint Michael and All Angels to be able to raise salaries or increase programming or hiring, each one of us needs to participate in returning God’s bounty to Him through our amazing parish. The Stewardship Committee and the Finance Committee will communicate the status of our parish pledges throughout the fall and into the new year.
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The amount of your pledge is entirely up to you, knowing that God asks only that we give back a portion of the bounty he has provided to us. The gold standard for Christian giving has been the tithe, or 10% of income. If, however, you are not ready for that level of giving, we encourage you to pledge a lower percentage and consider increasing your pledge each year. The Bible teaches us that God richly blesses those who give faithfully and with a cheerful heart. We only ask that you prayerfully consider what level of giving is right for you and your family.

Your approach to making up your mind about how much you and your family will pledge will relate in some way to your vision of stewardship. Bishop Claude Payne, retired Bishop of Texas, has shared a helpful perspective on a common maturation of the Christian Vision of Stewardship. Bishop Payne suggests that we consider our personal vision of stewardship in terms of a spectrum of the following:

• I give because I am supposed to give — a sense of duty
• I give to pay my own way — a sense of fairness
• I give to return a portion of my blessings — a sense of gratitude
• I give to insure church ministries remain free to everyone — a sense of generosity

Those looking in from a sense of duty or of fairness may look to others to see what they give or may look to how much of the church they use and maybe compare it with the cost of other activities in their lives. Giving from a sense of gratitude and generosity is a challenging progression from duty and fairness. Repaying God for our sense of humor, the fellowship of friends and family, or our personal good fortune is more than a math problem.

There is no text book or meditative chant to bring each of us through this progression. While growing along our paths, one might wonder how a person can give cheerfully. What happens to make a person begin to say, “I must find ways to give more; to be more impactful on the lives of others?” How does one develop a sense of generosity?

As you reflect and pray on your vision of stewardship, which of the visions above resonates with you? How might your vision change?
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Proportional giving is based on the premise that, as a faithful response to what God has provided us, you are to give back to God your “first fruits.” This involves setting aside a tithe, or other appropriate portion of your income, before you consider other needs or priorities. We ask each parishioner to consider making an annual pledge in proportion to income. Give joyfully and with the spiritual abundance that God has given each of us. Consider the wisdom from 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Giving Percentage Table

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You can make a pledge to Saint Michael in several different ways. You can fill out the pledge card mailed to you in the fall and return it to the church. Or, you can make a pledge online at www.saintmichael.org/stewardship. You can also make a pledge by telephone by calling Jenny Andrews in the Stewardship office at 214-365-3557.

If you are mailing in your pledge, please send it to:

Saint Michael and All Angels
Attention: Jenny Andrews

What methods of payment does the church accept?

Saint Michaels accepts Stewardship contributions in the form of cash, check, credit card, or stock gifts. Many parishioners find that it is easy to pay by monthly credit card debits or by making periodic payments through online banking. Please remember that credit cards take a percentage of the transaction as a fee, but online bank drafts send all of your pledge to the church. Some parishioners prefer to pay by cash or check using offering envelopes provided by the church. When you complete your pledge card, please indicate your preferred method of payment or contact Jenny Andrews in the Stewardship office at 214-365-3557 to discuss available alternatives.
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I would like to use offering envelopes. How do I get them?

If you would like to obtain offering envelopes, please check the appropriate box on the pledge card or online pledge form or request them by calling Jenny Andrews in the Stewardship office at 214-365-3557. The church will send the offering envelopes once you submit your pledge.
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Donations through the collection plate are, of course, welcome. The amount of these donations, however, varies significantly from week to week, and they do not provide the predictability needed to plan for and meet the church’s obligations. Imagine that you were trying to plan your family’s budget, but did not know how much income you could count on for the remainder of the year? Plate offerings represent less than 2% of our annual revenue, whereas pledges are the foundation of our annual planning and budget. Annual pledges provide a solid basis for the church to plan its operating budget with about 80% percent of our annual budget currently derived from pledged contributions.

It is also important to remember that it has been the tradition at Saint Michael to take all the “plate money” from our two largest plate offering services, Christmas and Easter, and divide it to support local, national and international outreach programs. Therefore, no funds received from plate on these important dates, or other cash plate offerings designated for outreach, go toward funding church ministries.
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Can I specify exactly how I want my pledge to be used?

We would request that you consider making your pledge as an unrestricted gift. Pledges are donations that are used to fund Saint Michael’s operating budget. The budget is set each year by the finance committee and approved by the vestry, who are elected by parish members as their representatives. This approach allows the leadership of the church to ensure that all areas of need receive support each year, and not just particular projects. If every parishioner restricted how his or her pledge could be used, the church could face serious difficulties in meeting its basic costs. However, if you decide to make a restricted gift, the church will honor your request.
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What if I make a pledge, but later find that I can't meet my obligation?

A pledge is an estimate to facilitate church budgeting and is not a legal obligation. If you experience financial or other difficulties (such as a job loss, serious illness, or other unexpected events) and find that you are not able to satisfy your pledge, we ask only that you notify Jenny Andrews in the Stewardship Office at 214-365-3557.
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How many people at Saint Michael make an annual pledge?

The number of pledgers each year has remained steady for several years. The average number of pledges over the last five years has been 1,454. In 2010, the pledges totaled 1492, our highest number of pledges in the last five years.

There are some parishioners who do not pledge. We plan to touch every household this year through our Cheerful Giver Meal endeavor, in hopes of significantly increasing pledging participation.

If you attend one of the meals, you will be a part of the parish that reaches out to the rest of our church family. Everyone should feel connected to our stewardship efforts this year.
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Where does the money go?

The leadership of Saint Michael is committed to being good stewards of your financial contributions. Careful consideration goes into the allocation of funds to serve the needs of our parish each year. Church fund allocation can be divided among three major categories: Clergy and Staff Compensation; Administration and Facilities; and Mission and Programs.

Most of our budget is for compensation. In a typical week our clergy and staff spend their time in hundreds of activities and personal contacts in mission and outreach, pastoral care and other essential roles.

Administration and Facilities expenses include building maintenance, insurance, utilities, grounds keeping, and other critical support costs. Mission and Program expenses are those allocable to specific areas such as Youth, Adult Education, Music and Worship, and Pastoral Care. Mission and Outreach expenditures reflect the money that goes to activities outside of our church community.

The chart below shows the three major categories on the left with a breakout of Church Programs on the right.

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Funds used by our Mission and Outreach programs come from a variety of sources. Only a portion of these funds comes from the annual budget or your Stewardship pledges (see above). Other funds — such as donations for youth and adult mission trips — are raised through fundraising efforts that are not included in the annual budget.

It is important to note that your Stewardship dollars provide the platform for a multitude of Outreach activities that would not be possible without the inspiration and support of the church. 

When we consider where the time of our clergy and staff is focused, as much as $2,000,000 of our annual budget funded Mission and Outreach, including Diocesan and National church activities in 2009.
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