This is the first report to Vestry by the Stewardship Committee, which was formed in the Autumn of 2003 at the behest and invitation of the Rector. The committee members are John Clague, Jim Dowie, Rob Friend, Derek Morris, Merle Parkinson, Howard Rourke, and Fr. Edward Simonton.
Stewardship involves our support and care for those resources entrusted to us and which surround us. That’s a pretty big concept! In our lives as Christians, stewardship is about our personal relationship with God, about how we use our God-given gifts, and about how we return a portion to the services of God in thanksgiving.
We are all Stewards, and we may contribute as such through our Time, through our Talents, and through our Treasure. We recognize the importance of each of these ways of contributing; however, the bulk of our efforts as a Committee relates to “treasure”—contributing an appropriate amount in the service of Our Lord; using it in the context of His ministry; and preserving a portion of it to ensure our continued presence.
The Committee met twice in the Fall and early Winter of 2003. Our first meeting was spent familiarizing ourselves with some of the issues faced by our parish and some of the resources available to those willing to tackle these issues. It was at the end of this first get-together that the Stewardship Committee was formally established. In subsequent weeks and during our second meeting, we:
q reviewed the financial position of our parish for the current year and the recent past, to understand the sources and uses of our funds, their trends and implications;
q developed various measures related to our record of financial giving, and gained insights as to our areas of strength and areas for improvement;
q assessed on a preliminary basis the status of the financial investments held by our parish, including the nature of the investment vehicles, their risk & return profile, and the timing of fixed investments;
q prioritized the areas for emphasis by our committee in the upcoming year, and developed an initial plan of action with tasks and responsibilities; and
q reviewed literature on successful stewardship programs, to guide our future efforts.
As a committee, we agreed that our efforts in the upcoming year will be mainly focussed on issues of a financial nature. After we have established several initiatives in this area, we will then consider in the longer term how our committee may wish to tackle the stewardship of other (non-financial) resources. We furthermore agreed that our most pressing financial issues relate to contributions.
In the context of financial stewardship, contributions can be boiled down to three key areas: (i) our regular contributions throughout the year; (ii) extraordinary giving, typically through a capital drive for some major project(s); and (iii) our legacy or planned giving, typically as a bequest to the church. We concluded the following with respect to each of these areas:
Regular contributions: An appropriate level of regular giving by members is a sign of a vibrant, thriving church able to carry out a variety of spiritual and other missions in its parish and community. Our review indicates that in Rawdon, we are not meeting our ordinary, day-to-day needs from the regular contributions of current members. We believe that we can, as a group, do more to continue the tradition of those who have gone before us in this parish, to ensure a self-sustaining and growing ministry. The good news is, we don’t need to do a tremendous amount more—it is well within our reach. But the basic message is, we do need to do more.
Extraordinary contributions: Our analysis to date has not focused on this item, and hence we do not have any definitive conclusions with respect to extraordinary contributions. However, we note that it may be effective to tie certain fundraising activities, including those already planned, to specific needs of our buildings and furnishings. As a committee we plan to work with the Corporation to consider the needs of the Church and parish for capital spending, which may pertain to the physical infrastructure, but could also pertain to ministry programs or other initiatives oriented to particular sectors of our parish and community.
Legacy or Planned giving: At one time, bequests were an important source of funds to carry on the work of our church. At present, the potential for planned giving seems almost dormant. While some literature is currently available on the subject, we believe that with a more proactive approach on our part as a Committee, we can more effectively inform fellow parishioners in plain, accessible terms, about: what planned giving is all about; why it can be advantageous for individuals; and why it can be advantageous for our church.
First of all, you may be hearing more about church-related financial matters in the upcoming year than in the recent past. Let’s recognize, though, that financial matters have been a part of the Christian church since its founding—at least since the first apostles appointed deacons to administer (the finances of) the Church. Rather than a sense of discomfort, let’s see if we can get to a point where we speak of the Church’s finances easily and with pride—of the missions our funds support, and our joy in contributing.
Our plans with respect to the three areas mentioned above can be summarized as follows:
Regular contributions: We plan to encourage a greater commitment to regular giving among parishioners, through communication of the church’s programs and its financial status, through an understanding of the various motivations that prompt Christian giving, through a program of pledging, and through periodic feedback on our progress. Our aim is to ensure a strong link in our hearts and minds, both intuitively and explicitly, between the work of the church, the health of our parish, and our supporting contributions.
Extraordinary contributions: Working with the Corporation, we will determine what the needs and opportunities may be for capital programs within our parish, and over what time frames. Appropriate programs will be tailored depending on identified needs. We expect to place less emphasis on this area in the short term, as we concentrate on regular contributions and planned giving.
Legacy or Planned giving: We plan to raise the profile of this avenue of supporting the church. Among other tasks, we plan to: research various facets of planned giving; offer presentations on planned giving to groups within our congregation; and follow up with individuals expressing an interest or desire for further information.
Your stewardship committee is looking forward to acting on these and other initiatives, that we may all respond joyfully to God’s generosity to us.
Respectfully submitted,
Robert Friend