Learn More About Pledging and Giving
October 13, 2024
Dear Siblings in Christ,
Greetings from St. Andrew’s, your Home on the Hill. This spring, we asked you to share what St. Andrew’s means to you. You responded that St. Andrew’s is the place where you come to know Christ, to love your neighbors, and to find community and belonging. We learned that whether you are drawn in by liturgy and music, by fellowship and formation or by service and outreach, there is one common thread that tugs at all of our hearts: St. Andrew’s is our home.
What a gift it is to come home to St Andrew’s week after week. On our corner of Laurel and Idlewood, we are sharing in God’s love, learning how best to love the world, and always returning home to the love of one another. Let’s celebrate that good
news! Over the past year, around a thousand people have walked through our doors, while over a thousand neighbors have been served outside of our doors; we have worshiped God and broken bread together dozens of times; and, since 2022, our average Sunday attendance has increased almost twofold. We have shared our building with a variety of neighbors, hosting Lessons & Carols, VCU student concerts, Richmond community groups, voice yoga classes, Diocesan worship services, St. Andrew’s School Graduation, and weekly school chapel. Perhaps most importantly, we have continued to support 15 different ministries here at St. Andrew’s, engaging over 50 volunteers each month; and we have welcomed 20 new members into our St. Andrew’s family since January.
If you have come home to the hill this year, you will have seen that there is energy and enthusiasm bursting through our red doors, and we are excited for the year ahead! While we are thriving spiritually, St. Andrew’s is still catching up financially. In 2024, pledging only covered 38% of our operating expenses, which is simply not sustainable. To continue to support our growing ministries, our fantastic staff, and our historic building, we are hoping to raise pledges to cover 50% of our expenses in 2025. This represents an increase from $108,000 in pledges to $145,000. We are praying that those who are able will increase their household pledges this year so that we can collectively meet this goal. If you have been a long-time member of our St. Andrew’s family, your leadership is needed now more than ever to serve as a bridge to the next generation of St. Andreans.
We understand that this increase will not be feasible for all, so please know this: no gift is too small. Our primary goal is that we all become pledging members of St. Andrew’s, whether we pledge our time, talent, and/or treasure. Some will be able to give more in one category than the other, and that is something worth celebrating. As St. Paul writes:
Now there are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit, and there are varieties of services but the same Lord, and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone… As it is, there are many members yet one body. (1 Corinthians 12:4-6, 20)
Because we are one body with many members, it will take each of your unique gifts and services to keep our community thriving. We can always use extra hearts and hands in our Home on the Hill, so we’re planning, we’re praying, and we’re asking: Will you join us?
As you discern what pledging will look like for you in 2025, we will be reaching out to join you in conversation and to answer any questions you may have. We will also be hosting a coffee hour chat on stewardship and finances after church on Sunday, October 20. Finally, in the spirit of homecoming, you are invited to join us in church on Sunday, November 17, at 10 a.m. to celebrate our St. Andrew’s family, to give thanks for our 2025 pledges, and to pray for the year ahead.
We are able to call St. Andrew’s home because of the generous spirit of all our members. As we come together at Christ’s table, may we share what the Spirit has given us with open hearts and hands, returning to God and to one another some of the many blessings showered upon us in this place.
In Christ,
The Rev. Peyton Williams Karen Salter, Stewardship Chair Conor Salter, Senior Warden
