I went out for a ride yesterday with a neighbor who works for the state and we started talking about budgeting. She wondered about our budgeting process and after I told her about the pledge letters and how we then work, each year from those commitments you send back in, to build a budget. She thought it sounded a bit stressful. Especially since my salary was dependent on it. “And the entire staff, even more,” I replied.
But the fact is that we are not just another department or a larger organization or of the state, nor are we merely a corporation, we are a community of people who place their trust, ultimately in God. This isn’t magical thinking. This doesn’t mean our Board of Finance won’t call to follow up on pledge commitments. It’s not question of que sera, sera. What it does mean is that because we do this for a great good than ourselves, fear and stress are taken out of the equation. It is a responsibility, not a burden.
As I put it in the last few paragraphs of this year’s pledge letter:
As Nehemiah said to his people (about building the temple) so I say to you—let us start building our 2027 budget! We need your commitment. Your continued commitment to this church, which has a yearly budget of just over $200,000, is a beautiful thing and really quite noteworthy among churches in the Northeast. We thank you that you commit yourself to our common good in this profound way. Just as those ancient builders laid their stones in defiance of kingly wealth and control, your pledge is its own defiance to all that fearfully strips away freedoms and divides our communities today. We choose instead to build a space where neighbors are welcomed, beauty is preserved, and the divine reality of love is enlarged.
When you make your pledge, you are doing more than balancing a spreadsheet. You are offering your resources to that powerful, creative act of enlarging God’s love in the world. Just as God takes our experiences and weaves them into something greater, your financial gifts are taken up into the divine reality, transforming our shared resources into a space where love is magnified, community is nurtured, and the world is made better.
Please fill out the enclosed pledge card and return it to the church by Sunday, November 15. We thank you for your loving gifts and for your continued commitment to the common good.