Stewardship letter from the Annual Pledge Committee
In last year’s pledge campaign, we reached out to the Saint James’ community with “faith that God would provide and move the Saint James’ community to give generously in gratitude, hope and mindfulness: gratitude for that which is Saint James’ today, hope for the Saint James’ of the future, and with mindfulness of our heavenly blessings, both in hardship and in joy.”
Our collective faith moved mountains. The response from the Saint James’ community was indeed heavenly, and filled our coffers. Consequently, we joyfully experience:
Gratitude for your generosity, and our strengthening Saint James’ community,
Hope that your ongoing generosity allows us to strengthen our financial condition and reinvigorate several ministries, with
Mindfulness that, although we live in trying times, the beacon of love, joy and light that is Saint James’ will shine strongly in service to each other and those in need.
We thought you may be interested in a quick review of the 2025 Pledge Campaign by the numbers:
The total number of pledges increased by nearly 30% over the prior year and 12 previous pledges returned contributing $38,000.
We asked for 10 new pledges totaling $30,000. There were 16 new pledges that totaled $46,000.
Nearly 60% of pledges increased their contribution by more than $15 per month.
A mere four years ago, the financial condition of Saint James’ was rather tenuous. Good financial stewardship, and increasingly successful annual pledge campaigns, have today given us the assurance of a sound financial footing. That said, Saint James’ starts each budget year from zero. We don’t rely on ticket sales, tuition and fees, sponsors, grants, government money, etc. to start each year. We have no control, plan, or knowledge of what will move people to pledge or give, how to aptly justify the increase in the pledged amount we are requesting, or how many people will pledge. We must act on faith when we use this short period of time during our pledge campaign asking for your commitments to make the upcoming year possible.
Saint James’ has great energy and momentum: our ministries have regained strength, we have a dynamic and deeply committed staff, and our impact in the community continues to grow. And so, our 2026 theme: Looking to the horizon for what is possible. We are excited and hopeful when we contemplate our parish’s future.
There is a lot to give toward in 2026. Another strong pledge campaign will fund church operations for another year, and more importantly allow us to look beyond our own horizons in 2026, support each other and the community in need. Our Vestry has determined a goal of $715,000 to fund our ministries in 2026.
Here are our requests:
We seek at least 10 new pledging households.
We ask all existing pledgers to increase their pledge by 5%, or for those less able, to consider an increase of $15 per month.
We encourage those who wish to newly support (or continue to support) the parish but are not yet comfortable making a pledge to increase their plate giving from the previous year. We hope plate offerings in 2026 will increase by 5% to $79,000.
With deepening faith, in the knowledge that all things come of thee, God, and of thine own we will generously give, we sign off with gratitude, hope and mindfulness that our greatest joy is in serving others.
The Annual Pledge Committee
Bob Dart • Ross Fuller • Chris Giglio • Amber Kiffney • Amy Petty