—Vicky Murray, St. Paul’s Stewardship Committee

If you already pledge to Old St. Paul’s—thank you!  Your generosity funds our operations.  The pledge commitments that parishioners make are used by the Vestry and church leaders to build an operating budget.  Just like your personal budget, the church budget includes basic expenses (utilities, salaries, building maintenance, etc) as well as the programs that keep our congregation growing (music, education for children and adults, etc).

The theme for this year’s Stewardship Campaign is “The Gifts of God for the People of God”.  We hear these words every week when we prepare to receive communion, but what do they mean? Everything that we have in our lives, from our relationships with others to our material possessions, is a gift that is given to us by God.  As people of God, we are stewards of all that we hold dear.

For over twenty years, the luxury watch brand Patek Phillippe has used the advertising slogan: “You never really own a Patek Phillippe.  You merely look after for it for the next generation.”  This year marked our 325^th year as a parish, an incredible testimony to the stewardship of those who came before us.  We must continue the tradition for those who come after us.

Look around the church at the names and dates of those who are forever memorialized in our stained glass windows.  Think about the financial support that they provided to Old St. Paul’s.  We are blessed with a strong endowment thanks to their gifts.  We are fortunate to have it, but it is our responsibility to maintain and build the endowment rather than relying on it in lieu of our pledge of financial commitment.  I grew up in a church where my great-grandparents had been founding members.  It is my hope that Old St. Paul’s will be there for my great-grandchildren.

We ask that you prayerfully consider increasing your pledge from what you gave in 2017.

Please consider your commitment to growth and give electronically to Old St. Paul’s:

http://stpaulsbaltimore.org/pledge/