Live Generously- St. Columba's 2020 Annual Pledge Campaign

LIVE GENEROUSLY

St. Columba's Episcopal Church 2020 Annual Campaign

Dear Ones,

Live Generously.

What does this mean? To some it means living out loud - with abundance, giving one's all and loving effusively. To others it means being fully present and in the moment, for a friend, a family member or someone in need.

To me, living generously begins with gratitude. It is easier to share all that I am and all that I have, when I thank God for all that I have been given. I find it takes practice: choosing gratitude until we are grateful, giving until we become generous, and praising God until we ourselves are an act of praise.

Taking care of what we’ve been given is a way to live generously, too. Peter asks us to “use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 PETER 4:10)

Thank you for being faithful, grateful stewards of God’s grace.

Thank you for all that you do to Live Generously.

Peace,

Ledlie I. Laughlin Rector

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At St. Columba's we

Welcome old friends and new visitors at the doors. Our hospitality extends to DEAR ONES,

guests of our Water Ministry, our Afghan refugee family, and beyond.

Worship with inspiring sermons, faith stories, exquisite flowers, gleaming altar pieces, and clergy, staff, vergers, and volunteers who make our Sunday services possible.

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At St. Columba's we

Rejoice at Back to Church parties, on the playground, through the 42nd Street and LGBT Fellowships, Fathers' and Mothers' Groups, at baptisms and confirmations.

Grow through Sunday School, Rite 13, J2A, DEAR ONES,

and YAC. Through the Circles, Wednesday nights at St. C’s, and Sunday forum opportunities that connect our community and challenge the way we view the world and ourselves.

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Sing “Go now in peace, may the love of God surround you” in the Great Hall. In the church Nave, we add a few more lines and DEAR ONES,

sing songs of praise from the pews

accompanied by the hand bells, orchestra, and choirs.

Serve by building a new front porch for a neighbor in need, whether they live in Washington or West Virginia. By making sandwiches and delivering them through the Grate Patrol. By being wise stewards of our environment.

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At St. Columba's we: DEAR ONES,

Pray during Centering Prayer, Branches meditation group, and Bible study. As we walk the labyrinth. That we’ll find a parking spot with ease.

Hold each other up, through Pastoral Care, the Stephen Ministry, the laying of hands, the Prayer Chain, and delivering flowers and Good Shepherds meals. By teaching our children the power of God’s love.

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At St. Columba's we

Pledge joyfully to share what we've been given through God's grace.

To make a pledge to support St. Columba's in 2020, click

HERE.

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DREAMING AND BUILDING

St. Columba’s is blessed with an engaged and committed congregation. Our parishioners, clergy, staff, and lay leaders are embracing a renewed vision. For our part, the vestry has identified areas such as strategic planning and technology where we need to take a step forward. Additionally, we’re exploring new forms of worship and seeking ways to magnify the impact of our outreach. Our commitment to increasing the frequency and depth of communication, especially about the church’s finances, continues – ensuring that all of us can better see the link between our stewardship and our capacity to Live God’s Love.

The 2020 budget increase of 11% demonstrates one way in which we seek to answer the call we feel to do more. Pledges account for 77% of the revenue in our budget, and last year 638 households pledged an average of $3,900. Thank you! Your pledge is essential to fulfilling our mission. It provides the resources we need to pay our staff and clergy, maintain our building, and meet our regular expenses so that we can carry out our ministries and ensure St. Columba's remains a vibrant community.

As an active member of St. Columba's, you are already living generously. We thank you for pledging generously, too!

Steve Smith, Senior Warden

Abigail Gorman, Junior Warden

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A quick look at our finances

FY 2020 Revenues

and the pledge data from 2019.

FY 2020 Expenses

2019 Pledge Distribution

Expenses

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P R O P O R T I O N A L

G I V I N G

W O R K S H E E T

The vestry and the rector affirm the importance of proportional giving. What does this mean?

It means that before we make our pledge, we:

Calculate what percentage of our current income we are now giving to God (this may be our gifts just to the church, or to the church and other charities; you may decide). goal for our own giving, mindful that the Biblical standard is the L I GSet H Ta personal H O U S finacial E tithe - 10%.

FELLOWSHIP

Strive each year to increase our giving and move toward our goal.

YIfOyou U Thaven't H G given R O Ubefore P - or you haven't practiced proportional giving - try beginning at 2% and grow the percentage each year. Proportional giving is helpful because it gives us a personal goal to strive toward. And proportional giving has integrity because it allows each of us - rich and poor alike - to give in a way that is meaningful and sacrificial for us personally.

When you make your pledge, we invite you to consider proportional giving.

YEAR-END GATHERING S E T

Y O U R

PRAISE & WORSHIP

O W N

G O A L

F O R

G I V I N G

Enter your total annual income here.

CON CERT Move the dcimal point one place to the left. This is 10% -Â your tithe.

Total what you contribute to your church and to other causes outside your family.

Choose a personal goal; the percent you want to give this year.

LIVE GENEROUSLY

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ST. COLUMBA'S 2020 ANNUAL PLEDGE CAMPAIGN

MAD LIBS Ever tried a Mad Lib? Here's a fun way to think about St. Columba's and why we pledge to support our church. It's easy! Sit down with at least one other person. One by one, read aloud only each word below the line and fill in the responses - one for each blank space. Then read the entire page back to them as you all laugh a lot!

When I tell people that I attend St. Columba's Episcopal Church they always seem a little _______________ at first.

FEELING

"That _______________church on the corner of 42nd and Albemarle?" they ask. "What's ADJECTIVE

that place like?"

I_______________ tell them, "St. Columba's is a really_______________ church and that ADVERB

ADJECTIVE

the people are_______________, too. Even the priests are_______________. " When I ADJECTIVE

ADJECTIVE

explain what I like best about St. Columba's, I mention the _______________ and the NOUN

._______________. That's what makes it such a _______________ place for me NOUN

ADJECTIVE

and _______________.

NOUN

"_______________ ! It sounds like a _______________ church," they exclaim. "What does EXCLAMATION

ADJECTIVE

it take to make it all happen?"

"Well, we need _______________ people to contribute a total of $2,700,000, I answer.

ADJECTIVE

That's why we need everyone to pledge, because without my _______________, the NOUN

church couldn't possibly_______________ such _______________ ministries. And that's VERB

ADJECTIVE

why this year, my family is going to _______________ pledge $_______________ to St. ADVERB

DOLLAR AMOUNT

Columba's.

As part of my commitment to St. Columba's and the work of God, I also would be _______________ to be involved in the great work my church does all year long.

EMOTION

I _______________ look forward to being part of this _______________ church ADVERB

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community in 2020!

ADJECTIVE

LIVE GENEROUSLY Ready to Pledge?

Click

HERE to make your pledge

to support St. Columba's in 2020.

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