Make a Stewardship Pledge for 2023

We write today to ask for your faithful and generous pledge to Good Shepherd for 2023. Our theme – Take Your Place – is a call to responsibility for the many ministries of Good Shepherd. Your financial pledge is an important part of this responsibility and an important part of taking your place in the life of our parish.

Making a financial pledge to the church is more than a gift; it is an expression of faith. God invites us to give sacrificially to increase the gift of faith in the hearts of those around us. In making this commitment, we join together to fund the ministries that God has put into our hearts. Seeing the sum of our generosity through our stewardship campaign reminds us that even in divisive times, there remains a strong commitment to goodness in our world. 

Your stewardship pledges fund more than 80 percent of the parish budget. Pledges make possible all of the ministries of our six ministry groups: Liturgy, Outreach, Community Building, Children and Youth, Pastoral Care, and Faith Formation. Additionally, your generous annual pledge ensures that we retain our talented and capable employee team. As an example of their impact, we grew by 281 members last year!

This year is an unusual one, as the pandemic and ongoing economic challenges add additional strain to individuals and organizations alike. Thanks be to God, Good Shepherd is in a sound financial position. We are, however, feeling the impact of inflation. Simply to keep up with rising costs, we need to increase our aggregate pledge income for 2023 by 10 percent. Additionally, many of the community partners that we support through outreach are experiencing increasing costs and increasing demand for their services – and our ability to remain committed and generous partners depends in part on our financial health.

We ask you to take time to reflect on your intention of pledging and to consider how your faith is strengthened through your gift to the parish. Thank you for your generous support and prayers for Good Shepherd. You are so very important to the life we share. 

God’s peace,

Ted Jarrett and Ruth Whitehurst
Campaign Co-Chairs

Channing +
The Rev. Channing Smith, Rector