Stewardship Ministry Team ...

Our Mission: Guiding parishioners in the personal devotion of
Time, Talent, and Treasure that we have been given by God.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (MT 6:21)

November 4, 2007

Dear St. John’s Parishioner:

During the past two years, I have enjoyed getting to know the members of St. John’s church. This is a gifted and faithful community.

One of the common themes of the Christian faith is that of stewardship, the giving of ourselves and our resources for the furtherance of the kingdom of God. I have enclosed a copy of "Seven Questions that Saved my Spiritual Life," a wonderful testimony to the joy of giving. You are also receiving a copy of St. John’s narrative budget, which tells the story of how pledge money is being expressed in ministry at our church.

The pledge season is not just about your financial commitment to the church. It is also a time for you to evaluate the role of money in your life and for you to think and pray about what it means to give.

The Christian faith teaches that the basic level of giving is the tithe or 10% of our income. Some of our members do tithe, some from large resources, some from very small resources. The fact that they tithe is a remarkable witness to their faith. Be assured that most who have grown into tithing did not do so overnight. We are suggesting that those who are not currently tithing begin with 1% and move toward greater giving as the years progress.

Our church budget is supported almost entirely by the financial giving of the membership. We are highly dependent on the faithfulness and generosity of the members of this church. The more you invest in proportional giving, the more connected you will be both to our church and to God.

We want you to know of the incredibly wonderful programs that are being offered at St. John’s. The music program is becoming stronger everyday. The youth program is increasingly exciting and the formation opportunities for adults have also increased. If you are not aware of all that is going on, we encourage you to visit our web site: www.stjohnsplymouth.org.

In Faith,
The Rev. Dorian L. McGlannan

See Also:

Episcopal Diocese of Michigan, Stewardship Site

Ministry of Money

You may read St. John's 2008 budget in narrative form here. 

Note: To read the narrative budget, you will need Adobe Reader. 
If you don't have it, you can download it here.