by Reid Hester
We are just a few weeks away from formally embarking on the pledge drive for our 2023-2024 church fiscal year. The truth is that we are always in stewardship mode. The pledge drive is just the time of the year when we draw a little extra attention to the importance of supporting our church community financially.
We are going through a period of transition in our membership where new members are joining, and some long-time members have moved away to explore new options in retirement. As our membership goes through changes, we also need to consider a transition in our collective support for the church. We have relied on financial reserves for the last couple of years to fill the gaps in our budget. While our church finances are quite solid, our reserves are not bottomless.
We will have a Town Hall meeting on March 12 to preview the opportunities and challenges that we’ll face in our 2023-2024 budget. I encourage all of our members and friends to attend this meeting. And prior to coming to that meeting, please start to consider the level of financial support that you’re willing to give to Heritage in the next fiscal year.
One very helpful tool to guide your pledge is the Fair Share guide to giving, which can be found at the following link: https://stewardshipforus.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/NEW-Fair-Share-Contribution-Guide-S4Us.pdf. This tool suggests levels of giving based on your income and your vision of how you relate to the church. My family has used the Fair Share guide to determine our pledge for about the last ten years. If you start thinking about next year’s pledge now, you will be ready to commit to a pledge that works for you when the time comes on Stewardship Sunday.
Speaking of Stewardship Sunday, the big day this year is Sunday, March 26, 2023. The good news is that this isn’t the day we lose an hour to spring forward (that happens on our Town Hall day, March 12). So we’ll all be happily adjusted to Daylight Savings Time for Stewardship Sunday, and I’m looking forward to record attendance. See you there!
Reid Hester
Finance & Stewardship Chair