SINGLE COMBINED SERVICE
AT 9:30 a.m.
followed by a
Ingathering : Consecration Sunday is November 18
Musings From Mother Liz: Stewardship — Where Does It All Go?
As much as we stress the spiritual discipline of making a financial commitment to the church, there are practical aspects as well.In 2018, the vestry approved an operating budget of $567,000. A little over 50% of this amount goes towards staff salaries and benefits: pension, medical and disability insurance, travel, continuing education and social security. The cost to maintain and repair the physical plant, categorized as Buildings and Grounds, is 20% of the budget. A little over 9%, or $53,600 goes back to the diocese to help fund the cost of their operations. The cost to run the office, including office machines, computers, phone, internet and equipment replacements, requires 8% of the budget, while ministries uses 7%. Outreach is allocated 3% of the budget.
The vestry and the finance committee work hard to be good stewards of the monies donated to the church. Ideally, an increase in donations allows us to increase funds for Outreach as well as accrue funds for Buildings and Grounds to cover unexpected repairs, and expected replacement of high-priced items like air conditioners and roofs.
As you pray and discern what your financial commitment to St. Matthew’s will be, I hope learning what it takes to operate the church will be helpful to you. If you have questions about any of this, please contact our Treasurer, Chuck Marsh, the chair of our Finance Committee Mark DiGiovanni, or Bret Hurst, vestry member and liaison to the Finance Committee.
In Peace,
Mother Liz+
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It’s Fall! The Change of Seasons Ushers In Our Annual Stewardship Program
As I write this, meteorologists claim that the days of 90 degrees plus are gone for this year, and the morning temperatures over the weekend are forecast to be in the high 40’s. Fall has finally arrived! And with the start of football season, the change of the leaves and the change in the weather, another sign of Fall is our annual Stewardship program.
I Iove the fall season – it is my favorite time of year. And I love the time of stewardship. No, that’s not a misprint – I really do love the time of stewardship. It is a period of four weeks that I use for reflection about where I am in my Christian development and in my relationship to God. It is a time of daily prayer, of thinking intentionally about the many blessings that have come since last fall and how grateful I am for the St. Matthew’s community, for my life in Snellville, and for the many ways I have felt God’s love. And from those reflections, I then pray for discernment about what God expects of me and how I am called to give back this year in thanksgiving for all that God has done. So yes, I find the time of stewardship to be very special.
I also know that it is not embraced that way by many people. Somehow, the four weeks is seen as a way for the church to spend a focused period of time talking about money. And while making a financial commitment to St. Matthew’s in the form of a pledge is a key outcome of the four weeks, the time does not need to be stressful. I discovered years ago that if I focus on the spiritual, the financial follows. It just does. And more than that, it’s not painful. Honest!
Want to know more about how you can celebrate the season of stewardship instead of trying to hide from it? Tune in next week and I’ll tell you!
In Christ’s Love,
Mother Liz+