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Giving Thanks and Sharing
Our Many Blessings
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Stewardship at Grace Episcopal Church
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Stewardship Begins with God's Abundance
The Rev. J. R. Lander, president of the Episcopal Network for Stewardship, describes stewardship this way:
The starting point of stewardship is not the mission of the church, nor the needs of an institution.
The starting point of stewardship is God's abundance and our faithful response to it.
Stewardship means living out our lives in the belief that all we are and all we have is God's, entrusted to our care.
Stewardship includes formation of our young people.
Stewardship includes care of creation.
Stewardship includes vocational discernment.
Grace Church is about generosity. We are about encouraging people to live in a way that is rooted in our faith and our understanding of God's abundance.
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Dear Grace Church Family:
As the days grow shorter and the sun falls lower in the sky, we are called to reflect on the year that has passed and give thanks for the blessings we have received. The vestry, staff, and the entire Grace community are grateful for the gifts of time, talent, and treasure you share with the church and in the world around us.
This has been a challenging year for Grace due to the construction next door and its effect on our parking situation. Thankfully, this stressful period in the life of Grace Church is coming to a close. Before we know it, we will be preparing to welcome new neighbors. In the meantime, Advent is about to begin. Advent is a time of new beginnings: a new church year, and a new season of preparing for the birth of our lord Jesus.
Knowing that the continuing work of Grace Church requires the support of its members, we humbly ask you to prayerfully consider making your pledge to support Grace's 2016 operating budget. This email will give you some highlights. Additional information will be posted on our website and in upcoming e-items.
Thank you for everything you do as a member of Grace Church. You really do make a difference.
With gratitude,
Your stewardship team
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A pledge is a promise. A pledge to Grace Church is a promise that we will share our resources within our faith community. Your pledge allows your Vestry to budget for program, staff, worship, outreach and facility upkeep throughout the year. Beyond that, pledging also allows us to reflect on the ways we, as individuals and as a community, can share some of what we have with others. Your pledge, then, is a promise to yourself, the faith community at Grace Church, and our community at large.
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Determining Your Pledge to Grace
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How much should I give? That answer is completely up to you. As you think about your pledge for 2016, please prayerfully consider "proportional giving." In other words, think about what percentage of your annual income you can offer to God by supporting the work of Grace Church.
Ask yourself whether you could increase your pledge by $5, $10, or $20 per week. For some of us, that's a bit of a stretch right now. But for some others, that increase might be easier to handle than in the past.
And if you can increase your pledge, keep in mind that it will go a long way toward supporting Grace's ministries throughout the year. You might think that an increase in your pledge won't make a real difference in the life of Grace Church. But it does! And it will continue to pay dividends to Grace and our community for years to come.
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How Do I Make a Pledge to Grace?
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Please prayerfully fill out the form and return it by (or on) Sunday, November 22, 2015.
Of course, we will warmly welcome pledge forms received after that date. If you will not be in church on that Sunday, you may mail the form to:
Grace Episcopal Church
ATTN: Douglas VanHouten 924 Lake Street
Oak Park, IL 60301
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On Sunday, November 22, 2015 you will be invited to bring your pledge and regular offering forward and they will be blessed. Thank you for your generosity!
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There are several options:
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- Do you bank online? Simply set up an automatic weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly check from your account.
- Write a check and place it in the offering plate or mail to Grace to the attention of Douglas VanHouten.
- Pay using our secure online payment service, PayPal. If you use your PayPal balance or bank account balance, Grace incurs no fees to accept the funds. If you use your credit card, Grace incurs a nominal fee of 2.2%.
Our Donation page is at this link.
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These figures are taken from the Preliminary Budget for 2016 that is subject to approval by your Vestry.
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The pie chart above shows where Grace's funding comes from - your generous support. Our preliminary 2016 budget calls for income of $430,867, of which $305,535 or 71% is from our annual pledges.
This percentage is somewhat higher than in the past, but this increase means more room for Grace's own ministries. In the past, we had rented space in the parish hall to other religious groups (Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and St. Giles Family Mass Community) but one has already relocated and the other will be leaving in the middle of 2016. The Church also leased the parking lot to the village of Oak Park, but this agreement was terminated in 2014 and partially replaced with a license agreement with the developer of the adjacent property in 2015. The Rector, Wardens and Vestry, along with the staff, will definitely pursue opportunities to obtain revenue from these assets in the future. In the meantime, with our increased pledges, our entire parish hall and parking lot can be used for our own ministries and activities. What a difference that will make in the life of our community!
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The chart above shows where our money goes, divided by ministry area, with staff expenses allocated accordingly.
Almost every line item on the expense side of the budget remains unchanged from the current year's expenses. We did include an increase of about $5,000 in property expenses, mostly for snow removal. In the past, the village and the construction company next door took care of that as part of their separate arrangements to use our lot.
The 2016 budget continues to support the part-time Formation staff position, as well as our Outreach and Music programs. The final budget as approved by your Vestry will be presented with line item details at the Annual Meeting in early 2016.
Your generous annual pledge will make it possible for Grace not only to continue our work together, but to grow as a community. There are some special activities planned to help us do just that-and to have some fun together at the same time.
Thank you for all you do!
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