Message from Connie jaquith
Chair of 2018-19 Stewardship Committee
The words of our Rector continue to resonate in our stewardship efforts:
“We are in the process of adjusting to our financial life together and finding ways forward into a more secure future that will allow us to do the work that God would have us do - to reach out to others with help and hope.”
Rev. Candyce Loescher
2018 was the first year of a three-year process: setting realistic goals for annual pledging, preparing a theme and banners that transparently reflect the finances of the Church, personally engaging others to think prayerfully about their commitments to St. Mark's, and offering progress reports as pledges were made for 2019. It was a very good beginning!
As of the Annual Meeting, we cleanly see an upward trajectory: pledges for 2019 have reached $275,000; 90 families have pledged; 70% of those pledging have increased their pledges; 11 pledges are new for 2019. Pledging totals are up 11%. We are grateful for your generosity! We are encouraged by the response to open and candid conversation about the financial future of the Church. As pledges continue coming, we are keenly aware that this means we significantly reduce borrowing from the Future Fund to the meet the 2019 budget.
The goal, of course, is to stabilize the pledging as we go forward at $300,000 and above so that we draw NOTHING from the Future Fund to meet the annual budget. IN THIS YEAR WE ARE ALMOST HALFWAY TO THE GOAL: GOING FROM $245,000 IN 2018 TO $2700,000 IN 2019. With God's grace and your support, we are making this a reality.
As Stewardship moves into 2019, we will revise the banners for the years 2019 and 2020. They will be prepared and placed in the foyer for your consideration. We will again request the Treasurer and the Vestry to approve our goals and financial plan details. We anticipate that the goal will remain $300,000. We will attempt to secure 100 pledges for 2020. We believe these are realistic and achievable goals. Our theme remains the same: GROW WITH US: LOOKING UP...REACHING UP...RISING UP.
We will revise the message on the St. Mark's website. Your Stewardship Committee will continue to serve through 2019. We hope to schedule a presentation in the fall on estate and planned giving, with the help of our endowment advisor, Stock Yards Bank. We will also be working to implement a more proactive "Honorary and Memorial Giving" program that will focus on replenishing the Future Fund. We are mindful that we are engaged with you in a three year process to grow our church, welcome new members, build from our strength and increase resources.
THANK YOU for the privilege of working with you to strengthen and build upon the firm foundation that is St. Mark’s.
Connie Jacquith, Chair
Stewardship Committee: Connie Jaquith, Chair. Annie Ronald, David Pearson, Bob Shober, Harry Dumesnil, Phil Scherer, Jeannie Park, Holly Wright, and Sam Lord. Candyce Loescher and Marti Taber, ex-officio members.
“We are in the process of adjusting to our financial life together and finding ways forward into a more secure future that will allow us to do the work that God would have us do - to reach out to others with help and hope.”
Rev. Candyce Loescher
2018 was the first year of a three-year process: setting realistic goals for annual pledging, preparing a theme and banners that transparently reflect the finances of the Church, personally engaging others to think prayerfully about their commitments to St. Mark's, and offering progress reports as pledges were made for 2019. It was a very good beginning!
As of the Annual Meeting, we cleanly see an upward trajectory: pledges for 2019 have reached $275,000; 90 families have pledged; 70% of those pledging have increased their pledges; 11 pledges are new for 2019. Pledging totals are up 11%. We are grateful for your generosity! We are encouraged by the response to open and candid conversation about the financial future of the Church. As pledges continue coming, we are keenly aware that this means we significantly reduce borrowing from the Future Fund to the meet the 2019 budget.
The goal, of course, is to stabilize the pledging as we go forward at $300,000 and above so that we draw NOTHING from the Future Fund to meet the annual budget. IN THIS YEAR WE ARE ALMOST HALFWAY TO THE GOAL: GOING FROM $245,000 IN 2018 TO $2700,000 IN 2019. With God's grace and your support, we are making this a reality.
As Stewardship moves into 2019, we will revise the banners for the years 2019 and 2020. They will be prepared and placed in the foyer for your consideration. We will again request the Treasurer and the Vestry to approve our goals and financial plan details. We anticipate that the goal will remain $300,000. We will attempt to secure 100 pledges for 2020. We believe these are realistic and achievable goals. Our theme remains the same: GROW WITH US: LOOKING UP...REACHING UP...RISING UP.
We will revise the message on the St. Mark's website. Your Stewardship Committee will continue to serve through 2019. We hope to schedule a presentation in the fall on estate and planned giving, with the help of our endowment advisor, Stock Yards Bank. We will also be working to implement a more proactive "Honorary and Memorial Giving" program that will focus on replenishing the Future Fund. We are mindful that we are engaged with you in a three year process to grow our church, welcome new members, build from our strength and increase resources.
THANK YOU for the privilege of working with you to strengthen and build upon the firm foundation that is St. Mark’s.
Connie Jacquith, Chair
Stewardship Committee: Connie Jaquith, Chair. Annie Ronald, David Pearson, Bob Shober, Harry Dumesnil, Phil Scherer, Jeannie Park, Holly Wright, and Sam Lord. Candyce Loescher and Marti Taber, ex-officio members.
2018-19 Stewardship Committee Members
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Connie Jaquith, Chair, has been a member of St. Mark’s since 1986. She is a retired fund development officer, most recently at Bellarmine University, where she was Director of Major Giving for 15 years. In retirement, Connie enjoys volunteering on development committees of boards: Museum of New Mexico Foundation Board, LaFarge Foundation for Folk Art, and Daughters of the American Revolution National Development Committee in Washington, DC. She especially enjoys being lector and chalice bearer for St. Mark’s Saturday service and being an amateur, but serious, photographer.
Annie Ronald has been a member of St. Mark’s since 2004 and is a current Vestry member. Annie works in the psychology department of a multidisciplinary medical office, where she specializes in testing with young children. She and husband, Peter, attend Saturday services; Annie serves as an acolyte and enjoys leading hospitality efforts at St. Mark’s, as well as working in the church garden. Bob Shober joined St. Mark’s in 1990. He is a Vestry member and Treasurer of the church. He served three previous terms on the Vestry and one previous term as Treasurer. Bob is Managing Director for ProBank Austin, Louisville, which provides a variety of management, regulatory and educational solutions for financial institutions across the country. Sam Lord began attending St. Mark’s with his father, Nathan Lord. Sam is a formerVestry member and currently serves on the Endowment Committee. He and the Lord family were early supporters of the Saturday evening service, where they have often served as Lay Lectors and Intercessors. Holly Wright is a new member at St. Mark’s. She and her husband, George, joined after returning to Louisville from Old Town Alexandria. They are both looking forward to meeting fellow members and becoming involved in the activities of the Church. |
Harry Dumesnil grew up at St. Mark’s in the 1960s and 70s, and returned when he and his family moved back to Louisville from Philadelphia in 2003. He has served on the Vestry twice, holding offices as both Junior and Senior Warden. Other St. Mark’s service includes Brotherhood of St. Andrew and the Buildings and Grounds Committee. Harry is a Principal at K. Norman Berry Architects, a Louisville architectural firm
specializing in commercial, educational and religious architecture. Phil Scherer has been member of St. Mark’s since 1975. He is a former Vestry member and current Chair of the Endowment Committee. He serves as Chalice Bearer and Lay Reader at the 8:00 service at St. Mark’s. Phil is Chairman of Cushman & Wakefield/Commercial Kentucky, a full service commercial real estate company founded in 1973. He and his wife, Kathy, resided in Crescent Hill for 30 years before moving downtown in 2005. Jeannie Park has served on the Vestry and enjoys bringing her creative talents to a variety of work at the Church. She prepares communication materials, assists in implementing various design projects (the Stewardship banners in the foyer), and assists with new membership and pastoral care. She has an energy for “getting the job done,” an essential quality at St. Mark’s. David Pearson is a retired funeral director. He has been a St. Marker for 50 years: former choir member, lay reader and chalice bearer, past Senior Warden and served on the Vestry under four different Rectors. David has also served on the Board of Trustees of the Episcopal Church Home for thirty years and was past president. |
