Dear Friends in Christ,

As we wrap up our 2011 stewardship campaign, we want to thank those of you who have allowed us to finish the campaign at a level of $1,073K -- up about $60K from last year.  Many of you increased your pledge levels, and many responded to our secondary campaign to increase even further. Pledging is the response of a generous heart to the bountiful gifts God shares with us daily -- our life, our talents and our financial resources.  We are grateful so many of you have responded to our invitation to ministry by sharing from personal resources. Thanks also to the many pledging winter members, whose contributions to our parish are substantial in many ways, and to the many who contribute their time, talent and treasure in ways beyond pledging.

Your vestry is committed to maintaining St. Philip's as a top tier parish with a vital membership, a multitude of programs and ministries, liturgy and music in the finest of Episcopal traditions, and a dedicated staff that works hard to make our parish all it can be for all of us, for our community, and hopefully for many who are looking for a vital spiritual home.

But despite our 2011 pledge success, we write this letter to inform all parishioners that St. Philip's will still have the need to delve into our budget reserves during the 2011 year to the tune of about $160K, even with the reduced staffing and spending levels that have been announced.  2011 is the last year in which we will be able to use our diminishing reserves to this extent in order to maintain St. Philip's rich tradition of worship, music, programming, ministries and outreach.  In short, we will need to make further significant cuts in future budgets unless financial support, especially pledged financial support, from all of us rises to a level that will allow us to operate sustainably at current program levels.

Those who attended this year's three part annual meeting heard the following numbers, but many who did not attend need to understand the seriousness of St. Philip's financial situation:

The average 2011 pledge at our church is $1,927 -- significantly below the latest available 2009 national average of $2,314 for all Episcopal churches, $2,178 for Province 8 which includes Arizona, and even the $1,960 Diocesan average for Episcopal parishes in Arizona.  Programmatically we are near the top, but in terms of individual pledged financial support, we are nearer the bottom.

We count 557 pledges from a recorded membership of about 1,200; while all financial support is important and appreciated, only about half of St. Philippians actually pledge the funds that constitute the lion's share of our annual income, which allows us to plan and prepare our annual operating budgets.  As Bishop Kirk Smith reminded us in his homily on May 1, there is a difference between pledging and random giving.  "Pledging" comes from our first fruits, and is an act of sacrifice and faith, while "giving" comes more from our surplus -- an important distinction. 

You all know that our recent financial shortfall has led to layoffs, continuing staff furloughs, deferred expenditures and other cost saving measures that threaten our continued programming.  Our staff has been asked to sacrifice on our behalf, when in fact, the real necessity is for us to do what is needed to fulfill our contractual obligations to them.  Our expectations for programming continue, and it is your vestry's commitment to maintain St. Philip's rich traditions.  Our staff has willingly stepped up to support those traditions, despite our failures to make good on our financial obligations to them.

As one attends St. Philip's it is easy to presume that it is a wealthy parish.  The campus is magnificent. Services, music, programming, workshops, continuing education and community outreach are extensive and caringly done.  Most of us are drawn to St. Philips because of these rich traditions of excellence, yet for reasons hard to understand, we fail to support our beloved parish to an extent that sustainably funds the programming that we love and look forward to on a weekly basis.

We are rich in our spiritual traditions, but as you can see, we are not a financially wealthy parish.  A parish is truly "wealthy" only when its members value its offerings to the extent that they are willing to support them at a sustainable level. 

We are asking all St. Philippians to reflect and pray about our current financial situation.  We invite you to join with us, as we look toward the end of our 75th year and the start of 2012 and our next 75 years, in committing to a level of financial stewardship, through pledging, that will allow our beloved parish to continue in its rich tradition of worship, music, liturgy, pastoral care, education and outreach.  As we go forward, let us support our programs and ministries, our community, our dedicated staff, our wonderful facility, and our lives together in Christ, as they are enriched by all that we experience in this wonderful place.

Quite simply, it is up to us!

Yours in Christ,
The Vestry

P.S.   If you have not yet pledged, please do.  It will make a difference. More information is available on St. Philip's web site.