The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia



2567305-49466500New Pledge Letter Information Read This First!2020 is a distinctive year of ministry. Our fall annual giving program is as well.‘One Together’ ThemeOur turn-key program continues with the foundation laid by last year’s Wonder in All in both its liturgical sourcing and visual storytelling. However, One Together also integrates ‘Holy Agility’ into our work and teaching (these specific documents are included in the wider program). While we cannot predict the texture and circumstances of our congregational life come this fall, we can prepare for the sacred ground ahead of us!Our 2020 theme centers on the opening words from the Holy Baptism liturgy:There is one Body and one Spirit;There is one hope in God’s call to us;One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism;One God and Father of all.(BCP p. 299)How to engage these resources:Use these liturgically-based resources to lead your congregation on a rich journey of connecting, reconnecting, and being ‘One Together’. Invite givers deeply into the story of your church, and how in the ordinary time and the extra-ordinary, your community lives deeply into being ‘one Body’ together. Name what you mourn and miss in this extra-ordinary time, And simultaneously celebrate the many diversities of ministry that are manifestations of ‘one hope in God’s call’.Our ministry ‘icon library’ continues to allow choosing visual cues that prompt stories of specific impact both within your church community and outside in community of neighbors your serve. Keep in touch!We wish you a good, faithful, creative, and personally-engaging journey as you prepare for annual giving in your congregation. And please – don’t forget to share your important ministry work with us!Length of Your Pledge LetterWe have shortened these pledge letters from our first series of annual giving programs so that you can see the current, simpler trend. If you would like to read letters with more theology of giving, please take a look at ‘Walk in Love,’ ‘All Hearts Open,’ or ‘Now Into the World’. These are available on our website at . Just follow the link to ‘Stewardship’!The current trends in pledge letters are:no longer than one page including ample white space – white space attract the eye!Sometimes using 14 point fontIncluding bullet points of ministries that have made tremendous impact over the past yearInclude bullet points of how your church will serve your community if the budget increasesIncluding icons, graphics, and numbersAs you read the ‘One Together’ program letters, craft them for the culture, context, momentum, and current trajectory of your congregation. Tell relevant and compelling stories, especially as they relate to the holy ground of ordinary and extra-ordinary experiences this year. Bullet point. Include photos or calendars of ministry minute speakers. We can’t wait to see what you create!Content of Your Pledge LetterIn our practice of ‘Holy Agility,’ we are offering two different pledge letters along with additional writing prompts.Our more traditional letter expands on the template established last year with visual storytellingOur new letter incorporates visual storytelling as well, but follows a template developed by The Better Fundraising Co found here.Our writing prompts, found separately in this program, suggest language for different approaches to your pledge letters or other church-wide communications. These options will allow you to easily pivot should the texture and circumstances of our life together change.Ministry Minutes (referenced in letter 1)A favorite element of annual giving campaigns is often the Ministry Minute. This is a chance for church members to tell the story of how your church has transformed their lives. Ask members to prepare no more than a three minute conversation to share. They may do this during worship announcements, during a forum, through a video, or in writing. With so many members accustomed to digital ministry now, the potential for creativity has expanded more than ever – so keep us posted!These conversations can reveal rich stories that no one in the congregation has ever heard and draw people closer into the life of your church. Plan ahead so your participating members have time to reflect and so your messages have a consistent rhythm. Folks will look forward to hearing the next story!Impact Bullets Now more than ever, communicating the impact of your ministries is essential for a vibrant annual giving season. For members who do not participate often or who have not been able to participate digitally, hearing about the transformational ministries at your church may call them to either engage more deeply or reconnect after their time away. For your most active parishioners, learning more about the vitality within your congregation will draw them even closer. And for newcomers, knowing your church is truly relevant in the community it serves is essential.Placing the Icons | Additional InformationAs you work with the icons, here are a few notes from Julie to help you place them in your lettersUsing a publisher program will be helpful, but is not necessary. Much of my work has been in Word.Be sure to make sure your icon size ratio is locked so the images retain their square shapeI prefer to have the ‘wrap text’ for the icons set for ‘in front of text’ so that I can move them around easilyOnce I get them placed near where I want, it’s easier to move them with precision if the document is sized at 200-250% so I can see them closelyCall or e-mail if you have questions. I’m happy to help!Julie Simonton: jsimonton@ or direct to my desk at 804-622-3175center-102425500September 22, 2020Dear Aisha and Bill, I am so excited to tell you what I saw on September 2nd! When Grace Episcopal Church parishioners partnered with neighbors from all corners of our community for our Back@School with Grace Backpack Drive-thru – over 742 folks showed up at our church of 84 members! The dedicated ministries at Grace served as a foundation for children to receive school supplies, for local businesses to re-engage with our community, and for longtime and new neighbors to deepen relationships. Guess what else! Our new ‘One Together @ Grace’ face masks were a community hit! Through your gifts and support over the summer, we distributed over 1,500 face masks. While these were offered as gifts, the invitation to contribute raised over $4,000 for our Back@School with Grace ministry. This essential pivot in one of our cardinal ministries required standing firmly and nimbly on our ever-evolving sacred ground of service. Because of our congregation’s prayers, leadership, involvement, and financial gifts, we are living wholly into our holy new call. We are so glad you have been here to for it all!2020 is indeed a distinctive & pivotal year of ministry – and at Grace, we are indeed ‘One Together’ in this transformational time! Over the next four weeks during worship, you will hear more about ‘Back@School with Grace’ as well as about many other ministries through our ‘One Together’ story series. These include:286627254000Singing 37 of our parishioners’ favorite hymns during our virtual summertime hymn-sing – and having 100% attendance thanks to the ‘digital coaches’ from our youth group2870201030600Providing funding, space and volunteers to distribute almost 822 meals through our community “Underground Kitchen”28257532829500285750112300Supporting 32 local EMTs, nurses, doctors, and chaplains who deployed to New York in response to Covid-19 work and ministry293345614936400Creating 68 flower arrangements for graveside services during the pandemic by 11 Altar Guild volunteers Coordinating 137 hours of pastoral care calls through our St. Stephen’s ministryThe faithful financial support of our members during the extraordinary year has sustained and strengthened our ONE life TOGETHER. JOIN US! ‘One Together’ are words of relationship from our beloved baptism liturgy: There is one Body and one Spirit; There is one hope in God’s call to us; One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism; One God and Father of all. They are also a call of action to you and to me. ‘One Together’ is a call to continue growing our journey of becoming one in Christ, one with all people, and one with God’s earth. This is a call to move more deeply into the generous people we already are. We are so glad you’re here with us at Grace! Join me and all vestry members in being ‘One Together’ at Grace through a 2021 pledge. Your generosity during these transformational days is essential to Grace and to the community that surrounds us. God has given us all we need. It is our great joy to give it back.In Christ’s Name,the Rev’d Rachel Faith,Rectorcenter-53721000September 22, 2020Dear Karen and Ted, My prayers are with you today in this challenging time and, along with all our vestry members and staff, we send our warmest wishes for your health and safety. In the past months we’ve seen extraordinary changes to our daily lives following the need to temporarily close our churches to public worship, the directive to stay at home, and then the guidelines to try and re-gather. We’ve postponed services of baptism, weddings, and funerals, we’ve canceled potlucks and retreats, suspended coffee hour and lemonade on the lawn, and our church staff and vestry are ministering safer-from-home. Despite these circumstances, we have lived boldly into our new theme ‘One Together,’ based on the opening liturgy of Holy Baptism: There is one Body and one Spirit; There is one hope in God’s call to us; One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism; One God and Father of all. The ministries at St. Thomas’ have indeed continued – some have even thrived! I’ve been heartened by the strength and resilience of our ministry leaders as they’ve found ways to maintain connection within our parish communities and more broadly within our wider community: 2781305143500914400870775500916305802132000916305802132000Our communications and IT volunteers have developed digital templates for over 10 expressions of regular online weekly worship services, now broadcasting over47 worship services per month 916305802132000 29273549466500307340520897600Our community outreach quickly pivoted to new procedures for safe, physical distancing; has added over 16 new community ministry partners since April; and has served 28% more in need than this time last year Our Altar Guild has creating 68 flower arrangements for our wider community’s graveside services during the pandemic 304775762000Our St. Stephen’s ministry has coordinating 137 hours of pastoral care phone and video calls3143252032000Our Diversity in Action ministry has hosted 5 movie events, 3 summer book-reads, 2 civil discourse trainings, and 4 virtual forums We live as ‘One Together’ through our baptism, and our one faith unites us even when we are not together physically. While we have missed worship in our church itself, we are the one body – the feet and the hands of Jesus – we are the Church. And the Church has been busy following God’s call to us. We all continue to feel the pinch of this uncertain time. St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church relies on support from individuals who declare their faithful commitment to our church through a pledge. We are so glad you are here and hope you will join our effort. If you are able, also please consider an immediate ‘One Together’ donation now along with submitting your pledge of financial support for 2021. Join me and our entire vestry to sustain our mission and ministry. Now more than ever, your gifts make a difference. In Christ’s Name,the Rev’d Rachel Faith,Rector ................
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