It's pledge drive season!

Dear St. Paul’s Supporters--

It is with great excitement that the Finance Committee announces our Stewardship Campaign for 2022. Your generous pledge, or "promise to pay," is what funds our church for the year. Without your pledge, we are unable to plan for expenses and create a budget for the year which includes our pastor's salary as well as the salaries of other paid employees, unexpected expenses, and monthly regular expenses like electricity, gas and water, as well as committee work throughout the year. Your pledge makes a difference in the work of this church!

A quick personal story about pledging: Right after Steve and I were married (and attending St. Paul's), we were faced with our first real financial commitment--our pledge to St. Paul's. We were newly married. Steve was an associate veterinarian at Mesa, and I was a new teacher in Boulder. Needless to say, our income was meager, and our desire and trepidation to commit to our church were not exactly in sync with one another. I happened to mention to my mother- in-law that we were worried about pledging to the church because we didn't know whether or not we would be able to afford it and pay our monthly bills. I will never forget her telling me, “Honey, if you make the church the very first bill you pay every month, there will always be enough money. God will make sure that you always have enough." And so, with that good advice, we took a giant leap, pledged a small but doable amount, offered a prayer that we would have enough, and we did. 

As you consider your pledge this year, we ask that you prayerfully consider the amount that you are able to give to the work of your church. Every dollar makes a difference in how we are able to do God's work at St. Paul's. We are fortunate, you and I, to have this place to call our church home and to provide this ministry to all of the people we encounter both here and in our respective communities. 

The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:6-7).

To commit a pledge to St. Paul's for 2022, we are once again using a Google form. We had huge success with this method last year, and it is much more secure than completing a paper form that can be lost or get into the wrong hands. To submit your pledge, click on this link: https://bit.ly/3nYXVVX and answer each section as directed. Please be sure to fill in each blank with the appropriate answer as requested. If you have any questions or problems with the form, please contact Martha Batch at marthabatch@gmail.com, not the church office. If you desire a traditional paper pledge card, Rebecca will happily send you one. Email her at office@saintpaulsboulder.org 

Here are some general "tips for success": 

1. Open the form on a desktop/laptop computer (NOT a tablet or telephone) to complete it.
2. It's okay if you do not have a Google account, but it makes it easier if you do. The form will open even if you don't generally use Google.
3. Your submission is automatically saved and submitted to Martha once you hit "submit" at the end. If you made an error or want to change your pledge, please contact Martha, as she is the only person with access to this information.
4. If your computer is on the "older" end of computers, you may not be able to access the form. If you cannot open it after one or two tries, you may fall into the "I need a paper pledge card" category. Please contact Rebecca in the church office if this happens to you, and she will send you a paper pledge card.

Please complete your pledge by November 15. Return paper pledges to Martha by November 14 at church during worship or at her home address. Please do not return paper pledge cards to the church office because office staff are working from home. If you have already spoken to me about your pledge for 2022, you can disregard completing a pledge form; your pledge has already been accounted for. 

The finance committee thanks you for your faithful stewardship to our church and we look forward to 2022 and the continued good work of St. Paul's as a community of faith.

Martha

Martha Batch, Financial Secretary