Stewardship 2024
Walk in Love - Ephesians 5:2
Are you ready to Walk in Love?
Remember how much fun you had at the St James Fair? Did you enjoy volunteering or do you wish you had volunteered and joined the fun? Well, here’s another opportunity:
We are putting together a stewardship committee to help with our annual pledge drive. This year‘s theme is “Walk in Love."
We need help in 4 specific areas:
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Pledge card party people - we need helpers to come to a party to assemble the envelopes to be mailed out with the 2025 pledge cards and letter. Added bonus, you can take yours home with you!
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Pledge thankers - We need people to write thank you notes to folks who have pledged.
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Pledge persuaders - We need people who can help make phone calls to encourage people to send in their pledge card.
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Pledge pot luckers - We need people to help organize a potluck meal to celebrate the end of the stewardship campaign season.
If you think you could help with any of these tasks, please contact Shari Casey, senior warden, by September 26th. We've already started planning for this important period, which begins in early October and finishes on November 24. We would love to have you Walk in Love with us. Can we do it? Yes, we can! Many hands make light work. Join us! Reply now and Walk in Love with your fellow St James helpers!
A Guide to Financial Giving at St. James’
At St. James Episcopal Church, we encourage generosity in every aspect of our common life: through the ways we volunteer our time to the church and wider community; through the ways we offer our specific gifts and talents in service of our Lord; and in the ways we use our financial resources. We believe that responsible and disciplined financial stewardship – giving back to God a portion of what God has given us – is critical to spiritual health. By giving freely and bountifully to God through the ministry of our parish, we enable a tremendous amount of good work to be done within and outside the walls of our Church.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a “pledge?”
A pledge is a commitment to give a certain amount of money to sustain the Church community and to encourage growth. You are welcome here, and your pledge helps us extend that welcome to others. Your pledge to St. James’ says, “I am part of this community and I want to show that this parish and its values are important to me.”
Why does my pledge mean so much to St. James’?
At St. James’ we depend almost exclusively on pledges to fund and fulfill our mission. Our Annual Church Fair funds our outside mission projects but all the funds needed to sustain the life of our community come from our members’ pledges. Indeed, unlike some denominations, we receive no money from the Diocese or National Church. Quite the opposite: we pay an annual assessment to help fund the ministry of the wider church.
How do I decide how much to pledge to St. James’?
Your giving is as personal as your prayer life, and only you can know what is right for you at this stage of your journey. The important thing is to make a heartfelt commitment. You’ll find that as St. James’ grows, you are growing too.
Who sees my pledge?
The only people who see your pledge, besides God, are the Stewardship Chair, the Parish Treasurer, and the Assistant Treasurer. These are kept in strict confidence.
With whom may I speak for additional information?
Feel free to be contact our Rector, Amy Spagna, at aspagna@stjameswoodstock.org.
How do I pledge?
We ask you to tell us about your pledge by completing a pledge card — either in person or online. Pledges can be made weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually. The pledging process is simple and tax statements are issued to those who wish to deduct their pledge contributions from their taxable income. Weekly offering envelopes, if requested, are made available soon after pledges are received.