Saint Mary Orthodox Church

Stewardship Committee

As we kick off our 2012 Stewardship Pledge Drive, I urge you to take the time to think carefully and pray about your annual financial contributions to St. Mary’s. Your generosity allows our wonderful parish to fulfill its Christian Ministry year after year. For 2012, we would like to see more households giving at the level of $1000 or more per adult member. Any family that starts giving at that level will be exempt from the special parish assessment.

Pledge Card 2012

Time to re-evaluate your pledge for 2012

As each year comes to an end, our minds turn to thinking about the next year and all the planning it requires. This is no less true for our stewardship to St. Mary’s. Here are some important things to think about in that regard:

Increase your Pledge

This should be a no-brainer for those of us not on fixed incomes. St. Mary’s expenses increase every year just like our own personal expenses do. How in the world is St. Mary’s supposed to keep up with its expenses if we don’t give more each year?

Here’s another way to look at it: did your income increase this year? God gives to us and asks us to give back to Him according to our means. In other words, the more we make, the more we are supposed to give. So if you were blessed to receive a raise, please adjust your pledge accordingly.

Avoid the parish assessment by giving even more

The parish assessment is simply a stop-gap measure to enable the parish to quickly pay down the loan for the siding and the parish home. What the parish really needs is more families giving at a higher level. If you can give at the level of $1000 or more per adult member, you will be exempt from the parish assessment for the next three years, and you will be helping St. Mary’s to fulfill its Christian ministry.

Sign up for e-Give

Electronic giving has helped our parishioners to give more consistently and has improved St. Mary’s cash flow. It’s fast, simple, and convenient. No more checks, no more cash, no more envelopes.

Pray about it

What we do with the gifts God has bestowed upon us is important because it affects our relationship with our Creator. Fr. Nifon Abraham, the pastor of blessed memory of St. George’s in Norwood for so many years, once commented in a sermon delivered here at St. Mary’s: “How hard it is for us to part with our money!” We know from Christ’s parable of the Faithful Servant in the Gospel of Luke that “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required.” (Luke 12:48)

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.

© 2012 - St. Mary Orthodox Church - Cambridge, MA
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