At Christ Church we believe that all we have has been entrusted to us by God. Our response to His trust is to care for and support His work. Being a good steward is as simple as that. How we fulfill this commitment is up to each of us, keeping in mind that giving back to God a portion of what He has given to us is crucial to spiritual health.

"So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity;
for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7)

When we give our time, talent and treasure back to God, we should do it with joy in our hearts. Our time and talent turn the Word in to action; our treasure sustains God's ministries to the community and the world.

God has provided everything that we have, so the act of returning a portion of this gift to God should be done in a prayerful manner as a show of faith. The point isn’t about how much we give, but the gratitude with which the gift is made. When we give freely to God's work through the work of our parish, we reap bountifully - both inside our parish, and externally through our various outreach programs.

The Bible calls for all of Christ's followers to return a tithe (10%) of their income to the Lord or the church for the support of ministry. We should all work towards this goal in order to properly support Christ's ministry. If you are unable to tithe, be aware of the percentage of income you give to the church and work to increase that percentage in subsequent years until you achieve the tithe. This is known as proportionate giving.

Pledges can be made weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually. They can be made online or by completing a pledge card and returning it to the church office. Individual pledge amounts are confidential. Christ Church provides quarterly statements to you to help with deducting your contributions from your taxable income.Pledges can be made weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually. They can be made or by completing a pledge card and returning it to the church office. Individual pledge amounts are confidential. Christ Church provides quarterly statements to you to help with deducting your contributions from your taxable income.

What is a pledge?
A pledge is a financial commitment to the church and its ministries for a specific period of time.

Why should I make a pledge?
On a personal level, making a financial promise to the church is an exercise in spirituality. When you make a commitment to God and your Christ Church community, fulfilling it becomes a regular practice, just like prayer, learning, and attendance at worship. On an institutional level, receiving your pledge allows the Vestry to plan wisely for the use our resources. While regular giving that is not pledged is important to the parish, your pledge lets the Vestry plan more accurately for the ministry we can accomplish.

How much should I pledge?
Only you can decide. The Biblical standard is the tithe, which is ten percent of gross income. Another approach is to think about your pledge in terms of “proportional giving” – purposely and prayerfully setting aside a percentage of your income, with the aim of eventually reaching a tithe. For example, if you’re giving $3,000, and your income is $60,000, you are offering 5% in gratitude to God.

How much do others pledge?
In 2011, there were 354 pledges, totaling $923,918. The median pledge was $1,200. In addition, there was an especially generous gift from a parishioner who wished to remain anonymous, given on a one-time basis specifically for the purpose of correcting the shortfall in the 2011 budget. We are fortunate that a few families can afford to make very substantial contributions, but the loss of just one of these generous pledges would have a serious impact. Our goal, therefore, is to have everyone make a pledge to support the community of Christ Church in its ministry.

What if I can't give anything? What if I can only give a little?
Everyone who wants to be involved in the life and ministry of Christ Church is welcome. Period.

Why was there a shortfall in 2011?
Pledge income was down 12 percent from 2009 – the number of pledges dropped by two percent and the average pledge fell by ten percent. Additionally, stock market performance meant that there was much less endowment income available to the parish than in previous years.

Why don't we use our endowments to pay for the ministries of Christ Church?
While the church ordinarily does use income from endowments to fund operating expenses as well as to maintain buildings, for most endowment funds we are legally required to maintain the original purchasing power of the gifts. This means that when markets are weak and/or volatile, as they have been in recent years, there is insufficient income earned by endowments for us to be able to make a draw. When markets return to more typical profitability levels, we should be able to use endowment funds for up to ten percent of the annual budget. Even where there is no legal restriction against using the principal of an endowment, it is important that we manage these funds in a way that the generosity of our donors will continue to benefit future generations.

What is the Vestry doing to ensure the prudent use of resources?
The Vestry, with the help of the Finance Committee, parish staff and ministry chairs, formulates an annual budget, which is dependent on annual giving and expendable endowment earnings. Expenditures undergo rigorous scrutiny throughout the year. Significant and painful reductions have already been made in staffing and programs to manage to our budget.

How do I pay my pledge?
Pledges may be paid weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually. Options include:

• Cash or personal check. Weekly offering envelopes are available and many find them to be a convenient way to keep track of their pledges.
  
  
• Bank transfer. You can authorize your bank to direct a regularly scheduled payment to Christ Church. This is an easy and efficient system for you, and banks do not charge a fee to Christ Church for this service.
  
  
• Credit card. You can authorize the church to make a recurring charge to your credit card. Like bank transfers, credit card payments provide a continuous stream of income for the church, which is especially helpful during the summer months. Unlike bank transfers, the church pays a 3% fee to the credit card company for gifts given in this manner.

What happens if I can't pay my pledge?
People's circumstances sometimes change. We understand that. Whether you need to decrease or increase your pledge, just call our bookkeeper, Karen Horn, at 313.885.4841, ext. 110.

What are the goals for the 2012 pledge campaign?

• A total increase in pledge income of $50,000 over last year, which will allow us to maintain ministries at our current level.
• Pledge participation from each member of the Christ Church community