The household of god in this time of change:
Our 2025 stewardship appeal
campaign update!
Many, many thanks to all who have shared their pledge or intention for giving for 2025.
As of December 15, we are 67% towards our goal of $751,000!
Of the 93 pledges/intentions received so far:
- 9 are from newcomers
- 58 are from people who pledged last year, with an average increase of 19%
- 26 are from people who have pledged or given previously, but had not pledged last year
Pledging or sharing your intentions is a great help to the Stewardship and Finance Committees, so that we can continue to plan wisely.
If you haven’t yet shared your financial intention for 2025, we invite you to be “wildly generous”– to stretch and deepen your giving as we each share our commitment to this next year together. You may make your 2025 Stewardship Pledge online, or by mailing your pledge card to the church, placing it in the offering plate next Sunday, or emailing Karen McArthur. There are extra pledge cards on the tables at the back of the sanctuary and by Hastings Common.
Even as we focus on our commitments for 2025, it is equally important that we fulfill our commitments for 2024. As was reported at the Fall Congregational Meeting, we are dealing with a deficit of around $35,000 for 2024, which was based on us being able to meet our budgeted amount of pledges and gifts for this year. As of now, the shortfall in pledges and gifts is $121,000. If this amount is not raised, the deficit will increase and require tapping our investments for the balance. Keeping the deficit as small as possible is critical for us to start 2025 on solid financial ground.
So, please do everything you can to fulfill your pledge for this year, and for those who make end of year gifts, please be as generous as possible. If you have questions about your pledge balance, please contact Karen.
As we face change and uncertainty in our personal lives, the church, the country, and the world, we feel anxious, stressed and even fearful, but our church remains a home of welcome, stability, and love.
Change is inevitable. Let’s respond by being radical. Let’s work together to get ever closer to the heart of who we are and what we are about in the world today.
Your contributions, financial and non-financial, make this household of God who we are. Our goals for this interim year are:
- Collectively, a 3.5% increase over our 2024 Pledge & Gift goal.
- Individually, for each member and friend to respond with their intentions by November 24.
This early indication of your giving plan for 2025 will be tremendously helpful for the church’s faithful financial planning. Our primary source of income is contributions from our members and friends. You can find more information on our Church Finances page.
How to share your intentions
During our Sunday worship on November 24, we will bring forward our pledges and intentions for the year to come. Pledge cards are being mailed to members and friends, and are also available on the table at the back of the sanctuary, or by the Hastings Common doorway.
You can also make your 2025 Pledge online using the link below. If you already give online, please log in on the right side of the page, and then indicate the total of your intended annual pledge or gift. You can then either:
- set up recurring payments annually, quarterly, monthly, or weekly, to be given electronically from your bank account, or
- indicate that you’ll pay later by cash, check, or online.
If you have any difficulty, you may email your pledge to the church.
OUR ANNUAL BUDGET: THE IMPACT OF YOUR PLEDGE OR GIFT
Our primary source of income is contributions from our members and friends. You can find more information on our Church Finances page.
To meet this 2025 budget, we are asking the congregation to increase overall giving by 3.5%, or more if you are able. This will help us gradually transition to increased staffing and maintenance of our beloved and historic building to carry out the ministry and missions that we as a community value.
WHAT IS A PLEDGE AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?
A pledge is a commitment of financial support for the year ahead, often paid monthly or weekly. Many people set up recurring online contributions. Some give using the QR code each week during worship. Others give annually at the beginning or end of the year, or prepay a gift intended for next year.
Making your intentions known allows us to plan faithfully and realistically. You can give to the church without pledging, of course. However, we encourage annual pledging because making and keeping promises is an important spiritual discipline that fosters faithfulness and mutual responsibility.
HOW MUCH SHOULD I GIVE?
When you think about how you manage your financial resources, what does it mean to be a person of faith? Giving to others or sharing with the community is an important part of our relationships with each other and with God.
There are many ways to decide how much to give. One traditional way is “percentage giving,” calculating your contribution by a percentage of your income. This is a biblical practice—dedicating the very “first fruits” of one’s labor, rather than offering what remains after all other expenses are taken care of.
Traditionally, a tithe is understood to be 10%. Some people at FCC give at this level, but not everyone is able to do so. If you are a first-time giver, consider giving 3% or 5%. If you already give annually, challenge yourself to increase the percentage of your giving with each new year. No matter what you give, the point is to discover and commit to a level of giving that honors God’s generosity to you and that increases your joy.
Revisit the three Stewardship Testimonies offered in November worship services