Dear People of St Michael’s,

We are certainly putting our faith into action here at St Michael’s.  With so many unknowns before us, we could just play it safe – wait for our construction to finally finish, wait for our staff to return to normal numbers, wait for the presidential election to go away. I confess I think this way from time to time.

But as a friend of mine says, our God is a risky God. God likes to be on the move, and prods us forward as well, into the unknown. That’s where our faith really goes into action: can we trust enough to step forward, not knowing how it all will play out? 

The good news is we have ample reason to say yes to that. We have done amazing things as a congregation over the past several years, growing and deepening our faith, our relationships with one another, and our role in the community around us. We have found abundant resources to do what we feel called to do. Your generosity has helped us grow. 

Our annual stewardship drive is beginning, time for us each to consider and pray about our generosity for the coming year. As I have done in years past, I want to offer to you my own family’s process as we make this decision. We base our giving on a percentage of our income, but this year we have new fixed costs that change the equation for us. Supporting two households (including one that pays rent) and two kids at boarding school (however generous their financial aid) means that like most people, monthly expenses reduce our discretionary income. And college expenses are looming on the horizon.

There is no one right way to calculate a percentage pledge. It could be a percentage of gross income without regard to expenses, or it can be a percentage of net income after taxes and fixed expenses. This year we find it most prudent to do the latter. Once the dust clears after taxes, rent, and tuition, we have $7500 to work with each month. We plan to pledge $600 of that to St Michael’s, with another $150 going to other charitable giving – a 10% tithe on our net income, in other words. This feels faithful and appropriate to our current situation.

Our annual pledge drive runs for several weeks, concluding with our community ingathering on November 24. I hope you will take this time to seriously and thoughtfully consider your giving to St Michael’s for next year. May we continue to live out our faith, here together.

Blessings,

Kate