Stewardship 2012 - Our Trinity Family... Growing Together

 

Autumn is a great time to be in New England. There is a distinct feeling of change in the air. The weather cools, leaves start to change colors, and excitement begins to build as we near the holiday season.

 

Right now is such a great time to be a part of our Trinity family. Over the last nine months, we have formed a collaboration with our friends at St John's in Franklin, welcomed Father Bob Edmunds and his wife, Deb, as our new Priest in Charge, and started a Capital Improvements Committee dedicated to the renovation of our Parish Hall and Education wing!

 

I said in church a few weeks ago that what has become to be known as the "Stewardship season" has become my favorite time of year. It is a time when we celebrate who we are and what we are becoming. A time to take stock in this wonderful community and celebrate our many talents. A time to stand up and be counted as a people that have big plans for our future ... together.

 

Last year at this time we faced a challenge; we were facing a large deficit budget and we challenged ourselves to "step up" our pledges . We found that our average pledge per family was significantly below the national average for Episcopalians. We asked our parish to step up by increasing their pledges, and boy did our community respond: The average pledge per family grew by just over 30 percent last year! To me this was a powerful affirmation of who we are as a community . It also affirmed that we wanted to do more than just "barely survive"; that in fact we were dedicated to becoming a strong community with an eye toward the future.

 

Over the last year or two, we have seen many new faces join our ranks. Our Sunday School program is thriving, and plans are well underway to renovate our parish hall and Ed Wing. With this influx of new families, we are looking to grow our pledging family from 82 pledge units in 2011 to 110 pledging families in 2012. Growing our pledge base will be yet another affirmation that we are on the right track; that we are a strong community with a vision for the future. It will affirm to our children that Trinity will be there for them as they grow. As Father Eddy said once, it will affirm that Trinity is indeed, "On the Move"!

 

So, if you have pledged in the past, please prayerfully consider your pledge for 2012. If you have yet to pledge or are new to our family, please consider joining our ranks. Let's make 2012 the year that our Trinity family grows together!

 

Faithfully,

Your Stewardship Committee

 

Easy to Pledge right on our website. Go to www.trinitywrentham.org and click on the Pledge Now! link. This is secure and goes only to the Treasurer. Thank you! 

 

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 Stewardship - Frequently Asked Questions

 

Q  Why are we asked to give our time and money to Trinity?

 

A   From a spiritual perspective, God calls upon us to be generous and joyful givers of our time, talents and treasure to support His church.  Giving to support missions we believe in gives us joy and make us feel more connected to our parish.

 

From a practical viewpoint, stewardship is a shared responsibility and duty that we undertake to care for and maintain our parish and its missions.  It is the combined energy and financial support of about 120 active families and individual members that make possible all that we are and do as a parish.  Pledges and gifts make up nearly 90% of our income.

 

Q  Do members of Trinity have to pledge?

 

A    Members of the Episcopal Church in good standing are expected to support their parish through generous pledges of their time and talent (through volunteering) and treasure (through financial pledges). 

 

You don't have to pledge to attend services and participate in parish life but you are expected to support your fair share of our parish expenses and operating costs, in proportion to your income and resources.

 

Q   What's the difference between monetary pledges and gifts?

 

A   Pledges indicate your intended financial donation to the parish for the coming year.  They convey a level of commitment that strengthens our bonds with the parish, and they are needed by the Wardens and Vestry for planning ahead responsibly.  Gifts, while welcome and appreciated, usually cannot be foreseen or relied on for planning purposes.  

 

Q   Can pledges be modified once made?

 

A   Yes, you can modify your pledge if necessary during the pledge year.  They are not legal contracts!  So you can pledge generously with faith and optimism for the coming year, without fretting about unforeseen setbacks.

 

Q  Don't we get money from the Diocese?

 

A  No, we don't - it's the other way around!  Unlike some churches (e.g. Roman Catholic), we are not funded from the top down.  In fact, we are charged an annual assessment that we pay to the Diocese to support the missions and operations of the whole Episcopal Church throughout the world.  Your pledges or gifts go to our parish, not the Diocese, but we fund the Diocese through this assessment.

 

Q   Don't we have an Endowment?

 

A   We do have several small endowment funds. However, adding significant funds to our endowment cannot be anticipated, much less scheduled.  Therefore, it is critical that we not drain our endowment to meet operating expenses.  On the contrary, we should seek to build it up so that it may be used for larger objectives of the parish.

 

Q   How much money are we expected to pledge?  How much should I/we pledge?

 

A   This is a very personal decision, but there are guiding principles.  The Biblical tithe of 10% of gross income is a worthy goal.  In modern times most find this goal to be a significant challenge. Instead, you might consider a half-tithe (5%) or quarter-tithe (2.5%).

 

At Trinity, we suggest an initial goal of 2% of income, and encourage you to move up in increments of 1% of income towards a full (or fuller) tithe.

 

The national average annual pledge in the Episcopal Church is $2,500 (or $48 per week).  We ask that you consider making this your goal for 2012.

 

Q   What was the average pledge at Trinity Wrentham in 2011?

 

A   For 2011 we received 82 pledges and gifts totaling $162,000.  The average annual pledge was $1,975 ($38 per week).  The distribution of pledges ranged from under $100 to over $5,000 per year.The average pledge in the Episcopal Church annually is approximately $2,500 per year. 

 

At Trinity Wrentham, our numbers have grown over the last year.  For that reason, our Stewardship goal is to have 110 families pledge in 2012 (28 more than 2011).   If we maintain our average pledge of $1,975 per year we would then have $217,250 in pledge income for 2012; enough to meet our obligations.

 

Q  Don't we just raise money through fundraisers like the Christmas Fair and Time and Talent Auctions?

 

A   Fundraisers like these are special events that we have come to depend on.  These types of events are a wonderful opportunity for the community to come together.  Ideally we' would prefer to designate the funds from our fundraisers to special projects that help support our parish's mission, rather than depend on them to meet our operating expenses.  Fundraiser income simply cannot be depended on to meet the expenses of our operating budget.

 

Pledges supply the vital operating funds needed to support our annual recurring expenses (salaries and benefits, maintenance, Worship and Music, Christian Learning, Outreach, etc).  If you have to choose between these two types of appeals, you should give first priority to your annual stewardship pledge.

 

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  November Calendar 

In an effort to provide a more readable and functional calendar we have decided to present you a direct link. This link will open the church online calendar for your viewing pleasure.

 

As the holiday season approaches our Parish calendar is likely to fill up. Please help us to coordinate parish events by checking with Jennifer in the parish office before you schedule an event. This will help us to keep our communication clear and avoid "double booking". The "official" parish calendar is located in Jennifer's office. Thank you and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to call or email Jennifer at 508-384-3958 or office@trinitywrentham.org

     

Click HERE 

 

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Sunday School 

Sunday School classes continue to meet from 9:00-9:45, returning to church for Communion.  All children/youth are returning to church with material from their class and/or a weekly bulletin that reinforces the weekly readings or class discussion/activities.  We will also on occasion hand out other announcements and/or articles that may be of interest to parents.  Please let us know if you have any suggestions or feedback!

 

Movie Night

Thank you to the families who joined us for movie night on October 14th.  We watched Bedknobs and Broomsticks and enjoyed snacks, drinks and fellowship.  The next scheduled movie night is January 27, 2012.  We hope you can join us!

 

Youth Group

Trinity youth (grades 8 - 12) have been invited to participate in St. John's youth group.  Please contact Rachel Flum if you would like to be added to the email distribution list. 

 

Middle School Retreat

There is an upcoming Middle School Retreat sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts the weekend of Nov 18-20th.  If there is interest we could work on getting a group together or coordinating with St John's. Please let Rachel Flum know if your child is interested. The registration deadline is Nov 14th.  Middle School includes Grades 6-8, including members of ongoing youth groups in 9th grade, and mature 5th graders.

                         

Advent Wreath Making

Please join us for Advent Wreath Making on Sunday, December 4th from 2:00-4:00 PM in the Parish Hall. 

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  Notes and Announcements

 

Trinity's 147th Christmas Fair

December 2, 2011 4:00-8:00 p.m.
December 3, 2011 9:00-2:00 p.m.

The Old Country Store

 

Mark your calendars folks!!  We are looking for enthusiastic helpers in all areas of our fair preparation thru  clean-up.  This is a great opportunity to serve God and enjoy the blessings of fellowship.  All those who  have assisted in the past as well as those who have not had the opportunity to do so are most welcome  to participate.  We are calling all bakers, knitters, those who crochet, woodcrafters, people to work in our  Christmas Café, people to set up and break down the fair, decorate the rooms, etc. - all to assist in  helping make this year's fair a great success. New thoughts and ideas are greatly appreciated.

 

There are sign-up sheets on the parish hall bulletin board.  Please write your name in any area that you can be of help. If you have any concerns, please contact one of the following committee members.

 

Dianne Saunders  508-543-3042

   

White Elephant Room at the Christmas Fair

This year the White Elephant (an upscale yard sale) will be held in the downstairs rooms of the Education wing. Our space will be more limited than last year. Your quality donations are vital to our success. We will need lots of books as we have none left from the summer. (Please, NO encyclopedias, texts, or Readers Digests.) Also needed: decorations, glassware, dishes, kitchenware, puzzles, games, collectibles, jewelry (always a hot item), toiletries (new), pictures, SMALL toys, linens, and almost anything clean, whole, and working.

 

NO-NOs: TVs, computers, monitors, exercise equipment, large toys, furniture, or anything too big. VERY IMPORTANT: We cannot drop items off (in boxes, please) until AFTER Tuesday, Nov. 22, because Trinity is hosting the Ecumenical Thanksgiving service and parish hall reception on Nov. 22.
Please speak to Jane Robison if you have questions (1-508-384-3823 or sachemjr@aol.com) or need pick-up. Helpers will be needed. Thank you.

 

   

Wrentham Food Pantry  

Cottage Meetings 

The cottage meetings were very successful and gave Fr. Bob and Deb Edmunds the opportunity to meet and get to know so many of our parishioners in a small social setting. A special thank you to all our hosts who so graciously opened their homes to our parishioners and provided the wonderful fellowship. Our hosts were Jim & Jody Derick, Ross & Janice McCullough, Walter & Diane Pelrine, Jeff & Meredith Woodcock, John & Kathi Redman, Ross & Lisa Palioca, and Phil & Gretchen Hall. Thanks to all! 

 

Acolytes, Lay Readers and Healing Intercessors - Night of training and Pizza!

Fr. Bob is inviting all acolytes, lay readers and healing intercessors to a meeting on Sunday Nov. 6th at 5:00PM. This will be a time to talk about everything we do as part of the worship services at Trinity, followed by pizza! We expect to finish by 7:00PM. We hope everyone can come, bringing questions, thoughts about what works (or needs work) and hopes for better ways to 'do' liturgy as we move forward. Parents of acolytes are welcome as well as anyone interested in joining any of these ministries. Please email terrimonjar@comcast.net or 508-528-4095 to give us an idea of how many people are coming and how many are staying for pizza. Last minute additions are welcome!   

 

Parish Office Hours

The parish office hours have changed. The office will be open Monday thru Thursday 9:00AM to 1:00PM  

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  Editor's Corner  

I love Trinity. It means so much to have a place to come and belong to like Trinity. We are moving in a fresh and adventurous way and it feels good. I also have a love for music and truly appreciate the talent it takes to produce it. So many things can be said through the medium and we are fortunate to hear it every week during our service, in many forms. The organ, piano, solos, choir, youth choir and even sometimes instruments. I often wonder where the songs originated and what they sounded like when first composed. I wonder how the composer sought to move his audience.  

  

Another form of music that is part of the core of my soul is the blues. The blues cover a wide range of emotions and feelings and quite often expresses many truths such as love, loss, gratitude, happiness, sadness, friendship, purpose, redemption and giving, to name a few. The blues has a distinct relationship to gospel music and we can find the Lord in its lyric. 

  

The reason for this musical reference comes from a new found song heard the other day. It is a new song by a couple of old musicians. They speak of gratitude for their lives, happiness in their purpose, acknowledgement of others and appreciation for a shared friendship.  It is safe to say that they have worked their craft to make each day count for what they believe they were put on this earth to accomplish. 

  

We all have different purposes and were put here by our Father to accomplish many things. If you have thought about an appreciation for the gifts you have received or for the blessing of a friendship or how you can give back or of your gratitude to be alive or the craft of your life then I invite you to listen to this piece. In it there is a line that resonates with our energy here at Trinity and our calling to extend it to the world around us. "We've come a long way but we're a long way from being done..." Hopefully you feel that is was a good use of 4:59 of your life. Thanks for reading. 

  

Peace, 

Todd 

  

           Buddy Guy and B.B. King singing praises....

 

                                   

 

 

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