When Do I Give?Our Annual Budget DriveOur fiscal year begins July 1st each year. In the months prior to July 1st, usually January - March, we hold our annual budget drive or pledge campaign so that the Finance Committee can draft a budget in April and the congregation can vote on it in May. This campaign may be an all-congregation special event, a cottage meeting in which 10 or 12 congregants meet together, or a one-on-one meeting with a visiting steward, another member of the congregation. All annual budget drives, no matter the form, involve asking congregants for input regarding what is or isn't working for the congregation.
Existing and New MembersWhether you are an existing member or a new member, during the annual budget drive (January - March) you will be asked to pledge for the next year, beginning July 1st. New members also need to make a pledge for the current year on joining the congregation. However, those joining after January 1st, will be asked to pledge two times: once for the current year, ending June 30th; and once (along with the rest of the congregation) for the upcoming year that begins on July 1st.
Visitors and GuestsWe do pass an offering plate during our services. Anyone is welcome to make a contribution to the plate. If you have been attending as a visitor for some time and feel affiliated with the congregation but are not yet ready to join, you are welcome to make a pledge.
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More Information About StewardshipAnnual Budget Drive
Are Members Required to Give? When Do I Give? How Do I Give? Should All Give the Same? How Is My Pledge Used? Fundraisers Coffee House & Art Auction Rummage Sale Funds "One of the most important things that I learned, and it took me many years to realize this, is that this congregation is not a spectator sport. What happens here depends totally on each person's efforts. When I walked in the first time, I was a spectator. Now I am an active member."
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