Come thou fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace!
THE ABOVE QUOTATION is the opening line of a well-known hymn (#686 in our hymnal). It expresses gratitude to God as the source of all good things. And St. Andrew’s is one of those “good things.”
The energy of a new church year lifts us up—Sunday services, Sunday school, Bible study, adult learning, the choir returns, the parish picnic . . . community, spirituality.
And with the new year comes a new stewardship campaign. “Stewardship”—why do we call it that?
From an Episcopal faith standpoint stewardship is rooted in the belief that all things belong to God, and we are entrusted with them as stewards. It is about being grateful for God’s gifts and using them generously to serve God and others.
The costs of our parish—serving God and others—continues to increase:
- For those who do not know, St. Andrew’s (and every Episcopal parish) not only has to be financially self-sufficient, but we also have to allocate funds from our budget to the diocese. Given the strength of St. Andrew’s, our share is quite a significant sum. Next year that amount is approximately $195,000 an increase of $23,000 over 2025. Gratefully much of what that money is used for is not administrative costs, but rather money to support needy causes much as our outreach does.
- Health care costs for our clergy and staff are high and rising.
- Utility costs continue to increase.
- Inflation has not fully abated.
- And we will continue to make a commitment to our youth program which we experienced in 2025 in addition to the other elements of our spiritual life here.
Over many years the St. Andrew’s congregation steps up and gives. And there are many among us who increase their pledges each year. This year our theme is Stepping up for St. Andrew’s. I ask that all of us live by this approach. Let us all “step up” and generously ensure that St. Andrew’s can continue the strength and breadth of its ministry!
With gratitude for your ongoing support,
Madison Riley, vestryperson for stewardship
