“ALL GOOD GIFTS” CAMPAIGN, NOVEMBER 2006
How Our Gifts Support Our Ministries
How Our Gifts Support Our Ministries
For this year's annual giving campaign, we decided to try something different. We didn't present a proposed line-item budget for next year. Instead, we celebrated the ministries we accomplish with our time, treasure and talents. We counted up the dollars and volunteer hours spent on various ministries, and summarized them as shown below.
Annual giving campaigns often focus on monetary gifts, as gifts of time and talents are harder to put a value on. This year we put a value on the time and talents -- we calculated that if we had to hire people to do all the work our volunteers do, it would take the equivalent of 8.7 full-time year-round staff. And if we paid those people at $10/hour (the average for service work in this community), with required withholding taxes but no medical or pension benefits, it would take just over $195,000 per year!
Six major ministry areas are discussed below: Worship & Music, Hospitality & Evangelism, Pastoral Care, Christian Formation, Parish Life, and Outreach. Each of them has a narrative section. At the end are 2 pie charts showing how our monies and our volunteer hours are distributed among the ministry areas.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to Mr. Mike Stephenson of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, who gave us the tools for this method of narrative budgeting and taught us to use them. We also thank the Rev. Elizabeth Hasen of our own diocese, founder of The eMinistry Network, which sponsored Mr. Stephenson's telecourse.
-Nadine Grady, chairperson, Annual Giving Committee
1. Worship and Music
The worship and music at St. David’s is vibrant and continuing to grow. During the past year, there were 218 worship services with a total of attendance of 8,219 people. Average Sunday attendance was 140, and the Easter and Holy Week services had over 650 people attending.
As part of our worship, parishioners are involved as deacons, lectors, preachers, chalice bearers, altar guild members, choir members at special services, acolytes, ushers, communion bread bakers, nursery attendants, greeters, tellers and members of the liturgical planning committee. Throughout the past year, all these people contributed a total of 3,826 hours of volunteer service to support our worship and music ministries.
Approximately one-third of the parish’s annual cash expenses, or $75,599, supports worship and music. This includes a portion of the rector’s, parish secretary’s, and cleaning person’s time; all of the music director’s, organist’s and nursery attendants’ time; direct expenses for altar supplies and music; and a percentage of office and building costs.
2. Hospitality & Evangelism
Hospitality and welcoming newcomers are important to St. David’s. During the past year 84 visitors signed our guest book, and 31 new members joined the parish. We welcomed 10 individuals into the church through baptism (more baptisms than funerals this year, for the first time in a long time!). We extended hospitality to community groups – Girl Scouts, AA, TOPS, the Miniatures Club, and others – that met at St. David’s for a total of 440 hours in the last year.
Our parishioners are involved in hospitality every week as coffee hour hosts and greeters, and monthly as Muffin Sunday hosts. Our Celtic Eucharists have welcomed visitors and provided both spiritual care and material hospitality. In the past year, at least 586 volunteer hours were given to hospitality and evangelism.
Approximately 4% of our annual cash expenses, or $9,924, supports hospitality & evangelism. This includes a portion of the rector’s, parish secretary’s, and cleaning person’s time, and a percentage of office and building costs.
3. Pastoral Care
An important measure of St. David’s is how we care for one another. In the past year there were at least 20 visits to shut-ins, 199 home Communions, 14 meals provided to sick parishioners, 100 hospital visits, 6 services of Unction (last rites), 8 funerals & memorial services, and 3 receptions after funerals. Counseling and weddings were provided for 3 couples. Personal liturgies and rituals were created & celebrated for 30 parishioners. There were 5 public healing services and countless private offerings of the laying-on of hands. Uncountable hours were given in prayer for parishioners’ needs and requests.
Our parishioners provide pastoral care as lay Eucharistic visitors, healing ministers, and as members of the telephone prayer chain, prayer groups, the Friendly Visitors and the Caring Friends. Others care for our columbarium, provide spiritual direction, create prayer shawls, and sew quilts for babies being baptized. Throughout the past year, all these people contributed at least 3,685 hours of service to support our pastoral care ministries.
Approximately 7% of the parish’s annual cash expenses, or $17,583, supports pastoral care. This includes a portion of the rector’s time and a percentage of office and building costs.
4. Christian Formation
Christian formation for all ages is thriving and growing at St. David’s. During the year 8 teachers led 99 classes for children, and 33 for adults. Forty children were enrolled in the Sunday School, and an average of 10 attended the adult Sunday School. Our first EFM class of 8 moved on to their second year of study, accompanied by 6 first-year students. The 36 weekly adult Bible study classes had an average attendance of 8. Four of our children and youth attended summer sessions at Camp Cross. Nine adults served on Cursillo weekend teams. Six people were prepared for confirmation, reception & reaffirmation. Ten were involved in preparation for their own or a family member’s baptism. We have 2 persons studying and working toward ordination as deacons.
In the area of Christian formation, parishioners are involved as Sunday School Director and teachers, youth group leaders, adult discussion leaders, Bible study leaders, EFM mentors, members of the Discernment Committee and members of the diocesan Commission on Ministry. They care for our parish library, and organize fundraising events to help send our children to Camp Cross. They serve as Cursillo leaders and team members for Cursillo weekends. They teach classes at the diocesan level. Throughout the past year, volunteers contributed a total of 3,486 hours of service to support Christian formation ministries. In addition to this total, parishioners also spent countless hours on their own spiritual formation simply by attending Sunday and weekday worship, classes and groups.
Approximately 10% of our annual cash expenses, or $24,321, supports Christian formation. This includes part of the rector’s and cleaning person’s time; purchase of Sunday School curriculum, Camp Cross camperships, and a percentage of office and building costs.
5. Parish Life
Fellowship is a vital part of parish life St. David’s. During the past year, 1440 meals were served at the Wednesday night dinners and Lenten Soup Suppers. Forty enjoyed each others’ company at Dinners for Eight each month, and St. David’s groups attended 3 Spokane Indians baseball games together.
Our fellowship is supported by parishioners who plan, publicize and organize events – singles gatherings, Wednesday night dinners, Dinners for Eight, Spokane Indians baseball nights, and more. Communication is essential to parish life and also involves many volunteers – taking photographs, maintaining our web site, writing articles for the newsletters, assembling bulletins and newsletters, and helping in the office. Others give time to keep our finances in order – as treasurer, on the Finance Committee and on the Annual Giving Committee. Volunteers also maintain our facility by gardening, mowing lawns, removing snow, doing repairs, and tending to our boiler. Throughout the past year, at least 4,250 hours were given to support our parish life
Approximately 20% of the parish’s annual cash expenses, or $48,620, supports parish life. This includes a portion of the rector’s, cleaning person’s and parish secretary’s time; all of the Wednesday night dinner cooks’ and pot washer’s time; direct expenses for food and fellowship supplies; and a percentage of office and building costs.
6. Outreach
Outreach includes all the ways we reach outside St. David’s to do the work of the Church in the world. Our parishioners are involved in selling crafts for African Team Ministries, providing Christmas gifts for Eastern State Hospital patients, delivering food to Caritas, delivering Meals on Wheels, delivering donated items to Christ Clinic, collecting and shipping soup labels, soliciting donations for a scholarship in Honduras, recruiting outreach speakers, and serving on the boards of Caritas and Habitat for Humanity. They also do outreach through St. Catherine’s Guild (spring tea, pancake supper, bake sale) and St. Martha’s Guild (rummage sale for the Caritas Center, cookies for Habitat for Humanity, Interfaith Hospitality volunteering, Lenten soup suppers, Bunco dinner party). Several of our members serve in various roles at the diocesan convention. Throughout the past year, all these people contributed a total of 2,245 hours of service to support outreach ministries.
Approximately one-quarter of the parish’s annual cash expenses, or $59,593, supports outreach. Some is through the national Episcopal church, including funds sent to Episcopal Relief & Development for hurricane victims, and our United Thank Offering which funds grants worldwide. Our outreach also includes scholarship funds to support 2 students in South Africa and Honduras, monies given through LINKS, Inc. (a local service organization), hurricane relief for the Diocese of Mississippi, funds sent to the Caritas Center, Christ Clinic, Habitat for Humanity, and Interfaith Hospitality. Fundraising events brought in $4,673 for outreach this year, in addition to what had been budgeted. About 72% of our outreach giving is through the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane, which supports a multitude of ministries and outreach efforts in eastern Washington, northern Idaho, and worldwide. A portion of the rector’s and parish secretary’s time and a percentage of office and building costs also support outreach.
Pie Charts:
