St. James' Stewardship 2022

WHEREVER YOU ARE ON YOUR JOURNEY OF FAITH

YOU ARE WELCOME AT THIS TABLE

STEWARDSHIP 2022

Rooted in love Blessed are those that trust in the Lord.

They shall be like a tree planted by the water, sending out its roots by a stream.

It shall not fear when the heat comes, but it leaves shall stay green; in a year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.

Jeremiah 17:7-8

This year for our stewardship theme we return

to fearful, competitive accumulation, and to

to an image even older than the prophet

walls set up against others. The tables of

Jeremiah: the image of a resilient tree

welcome we set form us into a new sort of

planted by the water, its roots reaching out

household and society. And even in the

to nourish and support, its hospitable

middle of a pandemic, our household has

branches extending to the sky. Jeremiah

grown!

offered his people this image in hope during a time of exile and displacement. Maybe you

In response to our call in this time of

can identify with feeling displaced or

pandemic, St. James’ has created online,

uprooted by the upheaval of this pandemic.

hybrid, and outdoor spaces for worship,

People have moved and we have

prayer, Bible study, and doing life together.

experienced loss; rhythms and patterns of

We keep singing and hoping with and for

living have changed. But in his vision of the

each other as we all ride the rollercoaster of

tree, Jeremiah discovers that even when

emotions and anxieties brought about by

powers too big for us displace the people of

COVID. St. James’ continues to contribute to

God, we remain rooted in God's loving and

critical conversations around racial justice by

everlasting faithfulness. We have only to

creating fruitful spaces for transformative

reach out to seek God and each other.

encounters. We continue to find ways to celebrate the feasts and fasts of our church,

At St. James’, we have sought to do this

and we have poured hours and resources into

through the work of radical welcome, by

the work of pastoral care and outreach to

setting tables (physical and metaphorical)

seniors and families through Welcome Table.

where all people may encounter a glimpse of God’s greater welcome. At these tables, we

The people of St. James’ have been

find that God’s economy is a radical

responsive to the Spirit’s call to extend our

alternative to corporate capitalism,

branches so that many might find sanctuary.

In 2021

Looking to 2022

Over the past year, St. James’ has sought to invest

We enter St. James' 80th year as a congregation

in ministries for all ages, to be responsive to new

on Founders Day this December, and in this year,

ways of gathering people for worship, formation,

we aim to unearth the foundational stories and

and community, to bring back our music program

histories of our community and to celebrate the

strong in spite of COVID, to strengthen and

many sorts of diversities embraced by our

stabilize our 501(c)3, to pay just and competitive

congregation and our east Austin community.

wages to our staff, and to plan for the future by

We will continue to learn how to be a people on

taking care of some of our past debts, both

a spiritual journey together, even as our modes

physical and financial.

of gathering adapt to our circumstances.

Here are some of the ways we have been

In order to meet the challenges of the upcoming

deepening our roots and extending our branches

year, we are relying on the financial support of

of welcome:

each St. Jamesian. In 2021, 158 households

We kept traditions going like Jazz at St. James',

pledged a total of $580,203.

the Lenten Tea, the Blessing of the Animals, and feast days that honor St. James' African

For 2022, we need to raise a total of $668,000

American heritage.

in pledges in order to rebuild staffing and

We expanded our reach by developing

program budgets, particularly in the areas of

effective live streaming of services in English

music and formation. This is a bigger stretch for

and Spanish.

us than last year, but not so big as the leap we

We hired a new Music Minister, HouFei Yang,

made in our 2020 campaign. Through a

for the morning, and we are in the process of

combination of new pledges and through the

rebuilding the choirs.

expanding generosity of current pledgers, we

Ari Monts brought back the tradition of

believe that this is an ambitious but reachable

Vacation Bible School, and we developed

goal. We can do it, St. James', but we need your

outdoor family picnic eucharists.

help. 82% of our annual budget comes from

We brought our nursery staff back from

your pledged or unpledged giving.

furlough.

We hired a bilingual Children's Minister, Amber

Every gift counts, every pledge makes

Sarpy Lora.

a difference, and every contribution renews

We built a plan to be largely debt-free by

our commitment to God, answering

2025.

the call and saying, “Here I am. Send me.”

We have supported the continued growth of

We look forward to the new opportunities

our 501(c)3, Welcome Table, and the

that God will set before us, and we invite

continuation of its programs: Neighbor 2

your continued support through time,

Neighbor and Freedom School - Austin.

talent, and treasure to deepen our roots and

We hosted The Rev. William Barber and

expand our branches. pn

participated in voting rights efforts and advocacy for the trans community.

How to Pledge The Stewardship Team is asking that you make your pledge online at stjamesaustin.org/give or by turning in your pledge card by November 7.

Mail it to the church office at 1941 Webberville, 78721, bring it to an inperson service, or drop it off in our mailbox on campus.

2022 pledges do need not be paid now and may be adjusted during the year by having a confidential conversation with Parish Administrator Aimee Estep or our Rector, The Rev. Eileen O'Brien.

Why Pledge by Nov 7 Turning your pledge in by November 7 allows the Vestry Finance Committee to enter the budget process with confidence. We build our budgets based on your pledges. Your pledge makes a difference.

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