St. Joseph Annual Appeal
October 2016
Dear members and friends of St. Joseph Parish:
This is a really exciting time to be a member of St. Joseph Parish and of the New Roads Catholic Community. It’s inspiring to see the work that God is doing here, to hear stories of people who have been away from the Church but have begun practicing their faith again at New Roads, and to see longtime members taking amazing steps as followers of Jesus. We invite you to be part of the incredible work God is doing here through giving to the St. Joseph 2016 Annual Appeal.
We have big plans for 2017, including a change in our approach to tithing, or giving to God. In the past, as a church we didn’t talk much about giving as an act of faith, an essential element of discipleship. We simply passed the basket each week, and then, when offertory failed to meet operating expenses, as it always did, we conducted an annual appeal fundraiser to make up the difference. We ran fundraisers, but we didn’t help people to understand the spiritual practice of giving to God. We’re working to change that. We want to move from raising funds to raising givers.
This means moving away from fundraisers like this appeal, and moving toward a model where all our members are giving in an intentional way to our offertory program. Today we’re inviting you to take these steps:
We are so grateful for your partnership in the work of making disciples at New Roads, and look forward to experiencing with you the great things that God has in store for our community.
Sincerely,
Rev. Thomas A. Mahoney
Pastor
Dear members and friends of St. Joseph Parish:
This is a really exciting time to be a member of St. Joseph Parish and of the New Roads Catholic Community. It’s inspiring to see the work that God is doing here, to hear stories of people who have been away from the Church but have begun practicing their faith again at New Roads, and to see longtime members taking amazing steps as followers of Jesus. We invite you to be part of the incredible work God is doing here through giving to the St. Joseph 2016 Annual Appeal.
We have big plans for 2017, including a change in our approach to tithing, or giving to God. In the past, as a church we didn’t talk much about giving as an act of faith, an essential element of discipleship. We simply passed the basket each week, and then, when offertory failed to meet operating expenses, as it always did, we conducted an annual appeal fundraiser to make up the difference. We ran fundraisers, but we didn’t help people to understand the spiritual practice of giving to God. We’re working to change that. We want to move from raising funds to raising givers.
This means moving away from fundraisers like this appeal, and moving toward a model where all our members are giving in an intentional way to our offertory program. Today we’re inviting you to take these steps:
- Think about your giving as a spiritual practice, a sacrifice to God that expresses your thanksgiving for the ways he’s blessed you in the past and your trust in him in the future. (To learn more about the spiritual practice of tithing, watch our recent message about tithing.)
- Give to this year’s Annual Appeal by giving online. Our goal for this year is $200,000.
- Plan now for 2017. Instead of giving at the end of the year, sign up for our online offertory program to spread your gift out over the year. We’re inviting you to make the move from contributing to a fundraiser to giving to God in your place of worship as an act of worship.
We are so grateful for your partnership in the work of making disciples at New Roads, and look forward to experiencing with you the great things that God has in store for our community.
Sincerely,
Rev. Thomas A. Mahoney
Pastor
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