Saint Mary Orthodox Church

Stewardship Committee

The form below is the pledge card for 2010. Online giving will be available in the new year.

Pledge Card 2010

Fill out this form below to make your stewardship pledge for 2010.

1. Name(s):

2. Enter Your E-mail Address

(email is used to confirm your pledge)

3. I (we) PLEDGE a total amount of $ per year. (numerals only)

Parishioners are encouraged to set their pledge amount based on a percentage of their income, a practice rooted in Holy Scripture known as Proportional Giving.

4. I (we) would like to learn more about the new electronic giving program:
Yes
No

5. I (we) would like to use weekly envelopes
I (we) do not need to use envelopes

6. Do you have any additional comments that you would like to share with us?

7. Enter the Security Code listed below

captcha

Have You Increased Your Pledge This Year?

It can't be stressed enough how important it is for every household to increase their annual pledge to St. Mary's each year. Why? Because, as with everything else in life, our parish expenses increase over time. It is therefore imperative that our pledge base must grow every year for St. Mary's to be able to fulfill her ministry in the same way.

Now I'm not talking about seniors on fixed income or students on little income but rather about the rest of us who fall into the early twenties through early sixties who work full-time for a living.

If you have already embraced the proportional giving concept, then you are already increasing your pledge as your income goes up.

But what if you have been basing your giving on the parish council minimums? Then the unfortunate reality is that inflation has eroded the value of your pledge year after year. How much? Well, the last time the parish council minimum for membership in good standing was changed to $9/week ($468/year) was in 1997. Since then the Consumer Price Index has increased 36%! That means that to give the equivalent amount in 2010, your pledge would need to be $12/week ($624/year).

Of course, we encourage all parishioners to give based on a percentage of their income. With this in mind, the average household in our parish should be able to give $2000 - $3000 per year. However, if you have been giving based on the minimums, we urge you to increase your pledge to reflect the realities of 2010. If you have already sent in your 2010 pledge card, you can update your pledge by filling out another.

Pledge Guidelines

Pledges should be based on a percentage of annual income. The goal is 10% with a minimum guideline of 2.5% (one hour's wage per week). The following table shows various percentages:

Income	$25,000	$50,000	$75,000	$100,000	$150,000	$200,000
2.5%	$625	$1,250	$1,875	$2,500	$3,750	$5,000
3%	$750	$1,500	$2,250	$3,000	$4,500	$6,000
4%	$1,000	$2,000	$3,000	$4,000	$6,000	$8,000
5.0%	$1,250	$2,500	$3,750	$5,000	$7,500	$10,000
10.0%	$2,500	$5,000	$7,500	$10,000	$15,000	$20,000

As always, thank you for your generous support of our parish community.

2010 - St. Mary Orthodox Church - Cambridge, MA