Where does the 'income' come from? - Rector's Rambling for September 26, 2021

     Today the St. Catherine’s Guild continues their Trash to Treasure sale in the undercroft.  Our chapter of the Episcopal Church Women always finds interesting ways to raise money for projects and outreach, and we are thankful for their work and your support.

As September comes to a close, it is time to start thinking about stewardship, aka Pledge Card time.  In the coming weeks we will have more information for you about the theology of stewardship, which is how we use what God has entrusted to us to His greater honor and glory.

But today I wanted to talk a little bit about where the money in our budget comes from.

The budget is set by the vestry and presented at the Annual Parish Meeting.  During the course of the year we have monthly financial reports and adjust as necessary.

We have three primary sources of income.  Your pledges and contributions are the most important part.  It is a sign of your faithfulness, and your gratitude for the blessings in your life.  We also have income from the lease of the property that is our parking lot.  Eventually, God willing, we will see a building on the parking lot next to the church and all our parking for St. John’s will take place in the 950 car garage behind us.  Third, we have a small dedicated endowment fund that pays the salary of the organ scholar.  The other endowment funds of the parish have not been used for the support of the operations of the parish in over 10 years now.

When I arrived here in 2001 the weekly collection didn’t always cover the cost of the weekly music program.  The parish was very small.  But God has blessed us with growth, and in gratitude your support has helped us to minister in this place in His name.