Stewardship
Why Giving is Important to Us—
and to You
We have committed ourselves to new ministries in support of our youth, young adults and families and an expanded Christian education for all adults. The generous gifts of our members and friends help us to live out our call to serve not only our own parish, but to reach out to those in our community in the name of Christ. These gifts are critically important to us, and they are also important to those who give.
Many people tell us that they feel personally rewarded by committing to an intentional program of giving to the church—that is, an annual pledge. They say that their commitment to giving is a kind of spiritual discipline (like prayer and worship) that helps them feel closer to God, and more closely linked to this community, its work and ministries.
What is a pledge?
A pledge, after prayerful consideration, is a commitment to give a certain amount of money each year to help grow St. Bart’s ministry and mission.
Your annual pledge helps us extend that welcome to newcomer, seeker and member alike. And your pledge tells us, "I am part of this community, and I want to show that this church and its goals are important to me." Pledging is considered to be an important part of membership at St. Bart's.
Be assured that if your financial resources change at any time during the year, you can contact the church office (858-487-2159) to increase or decrease your pledge. No questions asked.
A Few Words about Proportional Giving
Any regular, intentional program of giving a specific amount of money is, in a way, "proportional" giving.
We believe that everything we have is a gift from God, so we are giving a portion or percentage of it back to God to be used for the mission and ministry of the church, the body of Christ.
The Bible states a specific obligation to “tithe”—that is, to give back to God one tenth of what we have received. We encourage you to begin your commitment to proportional giving with a small step: Promise to give two percent each year, or three. The average pledge to churches nationally is 2 percent of income, and maybe that's a good place to start. Then work toward increasing it each year.
Some people here at St. Bart's do "tithe"—a few even exceed the Biblical tenth. The wonderful diversity of our community is reflected, in part, by our varied attitudes toward (and comfort levels with) annual pledging and proportional giving.
Where Does St. Bart's Money Come From?
And Where Does It Go?
This year at St. Bart's we must raise 97 cents of every dollar we spend.
Here's how that dollar breaks down: 81 cents comes from annual pledges, 16 cents from plate offerings, other non-pledging gifts and the use of our facilities, and 3 cents from money carried over from 2007.
How we spend that dollar: 33 cents pays the costs of the pastoral and worship ministries. Costs of the music ministry equal 12 cents. We allocate 3 cents for program support; 5 cents for Christian education, 23 cents for administration, office supplies and communication, 12 cents for maintaining the facilities and utilities, and 12 cents for parish outreach.
To keep our programs and ministries running smoothly, and to continue to grow in numbers and in spiritual maturity, we need the help and participation of all our members.
St. Bart's Promise to You
We honor your commitment to faithful stewardship of the gifts that have been given to you.
And when you give to St. Bart's, we demonstrate that by expressing our thanks to you, by keeping accurate and confidential records of your contributions, and by sending you complete quarterly and annual statements to facilitate your tax preparation. Please let us know if you wish your giving to St. Bartholomew's Church to be anonymous.
We are deeply grateful for your generosity to St. Bartholomew's Church.