Jesus said, “I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant.” – The Gospel of John 15:5 (The Message)
Dear Friends,
On the first day of the year, I awake to a beautiful sunrise. Out of winter darkness, light and color sift through low hanging clouds. Twilight gray evolves to pink and then blues. Beyond my window, squirrels chatter in oak trees, protecting abundant stashes of acorns. From this perspective of light and abundance, I meditate on the work of the St. Andrew Stewardship Team over the last year.
In 2022, we finished one Capital Campaign and started another. The Changing Hearts | Renewing Lives campaign lasted from October 2019 through September 2022. We had a total of 150 families or individuals donate $1,581,750. We received 95 percent of the pledges made at the beginning of the campaign, plus additional donations by some pledgers above their pledge, plus significant non-pledge giving.
Monies received allowed the church to make its monthly mortgage payments, as well as some prepayments, reducing the unpaid loan balance by a total of more than $1.1 million during this period. Our building loan balance on Oct. 1, 2019 was $4,578,354; on Jan. 1, 2023, it was $3,420,886. The loan rate of 3.125 percent is fixed through 2027.
Well done, to all who contributed! It is a pleasure to worship and serve with you.
Our newest Capital Campaign started in September 2022 and runs until September 2025. The theme is Rooted in Faith | Growing to Serve. The monetary goal of our campaign fundraising continues to pay the mortgage and reduce the principal on our building loan. While raising funds, we know God also raises faith. God invites us to grow and serve, trusting evermore in God's commitment to Johnson County and the people of St. Andrew. God loves each one of us as if there were only one of us to love.
The annual Stewardship Campaign supports the general budget of the church by paying the salaries for our church staff, enabling upkeep and utilities of the building, and supporting all the ministries of the church. This year we had 260 families or individuals contributing to the general budget for a total of $900,165. Because of your generosity—and because of smart spending by our church staff—we ended 2022 with a surplus of $9,147. We depend on your year-end pledges to look forward and balance the budget for 2023. We are grateful for new faces and old friends that join us via remote live stream and fill the pews on Sunday mornings.
Pledging and giving at St. Andrew happen in a variety of ways. We encourage members and friends to adopt the method that is best suited to their situation. Please feel free to contact John Benson with questions (finance@saintandrew-ic.org, 319-330-3197). Pledge cards for Annual Stewardship and the Rooted in Faith campaigns are available in the church office.
Alternatively, you can pledge online at https://bit.ly/sapc-pledge-card-2023. To make donations, many givers choose automatic withdrawals at regular intervals. John can set it up for you and handle it though your bank account, or you can set it up and manage it yourself through the giving page of our church website: https://pushpay.com/g/saintandrewic.
Alternatively, some give once or twice a year through directing required retirement distributions, direct stock donations, donor advised gift funds or other tax advantaged ways. Also, we love partnering with the mission, outreach and service team—they often have specific giving opportunities. Please see the Mission Giving pages in St. Andrew’s Annual Report for details.
Thinking of beautiful sunrises and ever changing weather, we are grateful for music and potlucks and acorns and surprises. Thank you for the time, talent, energy and resources that you bring to our ministries.
With much peace,
Christina Charis-Donelson
on behalf of the St. Andrew Capital Campaign & Stewardship Team
