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Not too long ago the
Unitarian Universalist Association embarked on a campaign to remind people that
when it comes to human rights issues, immigrant rights, GLBT rights, etc., we
will always stand on the side of love.
The Financial Stewardship Committee believes this is a fitting theme for
our 2008-2009 giving process.
In a short few months we have
seen UUS become reinvigorated with the success of the search committee and the
arrival of a vibrant new minister in Anya Sammler-Michael. You may remember there was much discussion
over whether we could afford a full-time minister, and other options were
explored. But when it came right down to
it people stepped up and provided the extra support we needed for our new
full-time minister and all of the activities that are so necessary to what we
love at UUS.
We are now at the door of
great things! Our vision statement says:
"The Unitarian
Universalists of Sterling envision ourselves to be a thriving congregation
offering a wide range of programs meeting the needs of children, youth, and
adults. We are an open-minded and supportive community, embracing diversity, a
variety of religious expressions, and social activism."
We have taken major steps
towards fulfilling this vision. For this
year's stewardship campaign we are asking everyone to embrace the goal of
giving to put UUS at a level where it can seriously impact in a positive way
the lives of people in Eastern Loudoun and Western Fairfax Counties.
Who
The Stewardship Drive for
2008 is being led by Paul Roche, Allie Roche, and Michelle James, with help
from Rev Anya Sammler-Michael. During
the month of March 2008 every member and friend will be contacted to provide a
financial commitment for the next church year (July 1, 2008 through June 30,
2009.)
Why
We need a significant
increase in our level of giving to cover the 2008/2009 fiscal year
expenses. Since Rev. Anya started in
September of 2007 and our fiscal year started on July1, we only had 10 months
of salary to pay for last year. This
year we will have 12 months. Our rent
has increased by 6%. Most importantly,
in the year we are in we have used ALL of our rainy day money left over from
prior years. That amounts to $18,000 we
have to make up in this year's Stewardship Drive. We need to do the above, just to break
even. But we are planning beyond
that. We are planning to get our DRE
position back to half time, increase funding for music, pay for facilities
changes (windows, etc) to make our congregation safe, and enable us to deal
with the inevitable need to add space for the Sanctuary and RE.
Where
The Congregation Leadership
Donor dinner will be held at the home of Gus and Clarice Douoguih on the
evening of March 1. We will ask for
their financial commitments at the dinner and we hope to kick off the remainder
of the Drive with a large "down-payment" from that event.
Everyone else will be
contacted by a Stewardship Visitor (specially trained Congregation members) and
asked to schedule one hour to meet in
your home to have a discussion about the church as well as collect your
financial commitment forms.
These meetings will all take
place during the month of March.
How Much Should I Give?
Don't forget Uncle Sam
subsidizes your gift to UUS! Depending
on your tax bracket (AMT aside), the after-tax cost to you of this gift could
be only 60%-70% of the total. For example, per the chart below, if you earn
$100,000 and you give at the 5% Sustainer level your gift to UUS would be $5,000. Of that total, Uncle Sam would give back to
you somewhere around $1,500 to $2,000, a substantial subsidy. (Disclaimer - these are rough estimates and
thanks to the intricacies of our tax code, each person's results will be
different.)
Obviously what each person
gives will depend on his or her own financial circumstances and degree of
commitment to the church. We believe we
have a rare opportunity with our new minister, and our renewed energy, to match
our dreams for UUS with the financial wherewithal to make them a reality! We are asking members and friends to give in
accordance with the Fair Share Gift chart shown below.
The FairShare Guide
The FairShare Guide depicted
below (click any of the pictures for a larger version), and available on the UUA website, is an attempt to quantify your level of giving in relation to your household
income. Your minister, your Stewardship
Committee and your Board of Trustees have all reviewed and authorized the use
of this chart. To accomplish the things
we want to accomplish will require not equal giving, but equal
sacrifice. We trust each other. What you give is your decision, and your
decision should not and will not be
questioned. We recognize that in
some cases giving at these levels would be a significant increase from past
gift amounts. We ask that if you cannot
get to this level this year, please incrementally get there over the next
several years.
(The above is an example of
the Financial Commitment Form)
In Conclusion
When you are approached by a
member of this congregation to discuss your financial commitment for 2008/2009,
please be comfortable in your gift, please know that ALL gifts are cherished,
and that money, although important to keeping our church thriving, is only a
means to an end after all - not an end in itself. Please give generously!
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2008/2009
Stewardship Committee
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