2019 Annual Giving Campaign

Trinity Episcopal Church 2019 Annual Giving Campaign

Beloved Friends – Welcome to the 2019Annual Giving Campaign – a time of intentional reflection and response to what it means to be a community of faith supporting the ministry we share. Each fall we boldly talk about money and its power and promise as we plan for another exciting year ahead.

You are an invaluable part of this process- so welcome.

This year’s theme, Shining Our Light, reminds us of the beautiful and clarion call of Matthew 5:14-15. I am particularly fond of the transliteration of this passage from The Message: Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine!

Shine! That’s it, isn’t it? That is both the promise and the power of who we are called to be in this season of faith. Trinity is bursting at the seams these days with beautiful connections being made by old and new members, the continued deepening of meaning and engagement with our new friends and partners at Toledo Streets, the expanding of our free Sunday Community breakfast welcoming over 60 guests each week, the installation of Homeless Jesus, and vibrant weekly worship just to name a few highlights.

Underscoring it all- the ordinary and extraordinary aspects of our ministry is a community of members becoming ever more clear and engaged. It does indeed take a village to lift each other up- supporting, nurturing, challenging and sharing all we have to give. It means cultivating the courage, compassion and connection to wake up every day and commit to living life from a place of truth and authenticity.

If you are new to the Episcopal Church you may not be familiar with the Annual Giving Campaign. It is our tradition, borne of generations of experience, to set aside time each fall to deliberately and prayerfully consider the financial commitment we are called to make to our church. Then from a place of gratitude and faithfulness, each individual or family reflects that commitment in a “pledge” of financial support to be fulfilled in the year ahead.

In this booklet you’ll find more detailed information about how we give and some of our goals this year. What I want you to know is how grateful I am for each of you. In the end, we are created mentally, spiritually, emotionally and physically for connection. In the days to come may we seek out deeper connections to each other, recognizing we first need to be connected to ourselves. Shining our light together is the best way I know to begin this journey.

May you never forget that you are loved, Lisa

Frequently Asked Questions

Q Q Q Q

Why do I need to pledge? Can’t I just put money in the collection plate when I’m in church?

This question actually has 2 separate but related answers; 1.) Part of our spiritual path calls us to live out our lives with increasing generosity, recognizing the abundance of gifts we have in our lives and offering a portion of those gifts back to do the work we are called to do in the world.

2.) Just like a family or a business, Trinity manages its resources wisely establishing a budget with anticipated revenue and projected expenses for the year ahead. The pledges of our members make it possible to forecast our annual income (along with additional resources), rather than guessing.

Committing in advance to the dollars we will give to Trinity over the course of the year, also helps members with their own household budgeting.

Who decides what to do with the money pledged?

Approving the annual budget is the responsibility of our Vestry; the 9-member elected leadership team made up of parish members. One of their responsibilities is to act as agents and legal representatives of the Parish in all matters concerning its corporate property including finances. For the past two years Trinity has developed a clear budget process that begins in July and ends with the ratification of the budget by the Vestry in December. Then the Sunday prior to the Annual Meeting in January, the Rector, Treasurer, Vestry and Finance Commission host an all-parish gathering to discuss the approved budget for the year ahead- all are welcome to attend.

How many people/families make an annual pledge to Trinity?

Currently, 52 households have made a pledge over this past year supporting the 2019 budget. The total amount pledged for 2019 was $154,554 making up approximately 28% of our overall operating budget of $690,797. Trinity, unlike many other Episcopal churches, is richly blessed with outside resources supporting our ministry through funds entrusted to us by those who have come before in the form of generous legacy gifts. We are also challenged at times in our ability to communicate the importance of cultivating a more generous and engaged commitment of stewardship from the overall membership in order to decrease our disproportionately weighted reliance on these funds to balance our budget. We will continue this conversation and education this year as together we give thanks for all the resources we share.

How much do people pledge?

This is the decision of each individual/family. We can share that the average pledge in 2019 was $2,972 with pledges ranging from $200 to $20,000. Our goal this year is to increase overall participation asking everyone who calls Trinity their spiritual home to make a pledge supporting all the things God is calling us to do in the world.

How Do I Pledge?

To participate, simply fill out a 2020 Shining Our Light Pledge Card. Complete the card indicating your level of financial commitment for the year ahead, along with how you will make those payments. Please return your pledge card in the mail or bring with you to church over the next 3 Sundays (11/3, 11/10, 11/17). Please contact Heather Meyer, Director of Operations and Community Development, with any questions by email: heather@trinitytoledo.org or phone 419-243-1231.

SAVE THE DATE: Please mark your calendar and plan on joining us for our Shining Our Light Annual Giving Campaign Celebration reception on Sunday, November 17 immediately following the 10:00 service. Together we will give thanks for a successful campaign and God’s radical generosity in each of our lives.

TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURCH