Our Home at St. Andrew’s

Building the spiritual home that we all share depends on the loving talents and time contributed by so many people, as well as the financial support to pay our expenses.

Planning for another year in the life of St. Andrew’s is much more effective with the recognition of regular contributions through pledging, rather than fluctuating gifts in the plate on Sunday.  This publication is designed to help you understand the financial side of St. Andrew’s and to assist your prayerful consideration of your pledge for 2010.

We are receivers who give

All of us have been given an abundance of gifts from God. How we choose to spend them is the choice we face every day.  To truly live in the Kingdom Of God, we are called by Christ to share these gifts with others.

This sharing of what we are given allows us both to fully appreciate the bounty we have and to be God’s hands in the world.

Our Life as a parish

At St. Andrew’s every parishioner is a steward.  Over the last year the St. Andrew’s community has shared our gifts of time and talent and treasure in many ways including:

• Average worship attendance of 125 parishioners per week.

• Easter and Christmas Eve services with over 350 worshippers each.

• Dedicated parishioners from St. Andrew’s and the Framingham Lutheran Church serve over 60 needy people at the Salvation Army Miracle Kitchen in Framingham every month.

• Raising $14,000 as a parish to buy a play pump via Play Pumps International, an organization that exists to bring clean drinking water to villages in Sub-Saharan Africa.

• 5 members of our youth community participated in a week long mission trip in July hosted by Gordon College.  They participated in numerous community service programs in the greater Boston area.

• 18 members of our parish worked to support and serve several homeless families housed in local churches by the Mass Interfaith Hospitality Network.

• Providing Christmas gifts for 90 children, senior citizens and veterans through our annual Giving Tree program.

• Members of our parish knitted blankets and prayer shawls for those in need.

• Sponsored a vacation bible school program held in June and the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Day Camp held in August which was a great success with our youngest members.

• An Acolyte group that is made up of many talented youth who also serve as lay readers, ushers and musical soloists.

• Our Altar Guild ensures that the Sanctuary is beautifully and thoughtfully prepared for each service.

• Sunday coffee hours made possible by the fellowship ministry provide the nucleus for our social gatherings after the service.  

• Dedicated church school teachers providing spiritual guidance to youth.

• Informative and inspirational Adult formation offerings.

• Groups using this building such as Al Anon, AWOL, Veterans Acupuncture, Gateway Camera Club, Transatlantic Brides and the Town of Framingham Garden Club.

• Community dinners, newcomer dinners and other opportunities for getting to know each other socially such as Karaoke nite and the Vestry Spaghetti dinner.

What are our financial needs?

To sustain our community

We have been blessed as a community with the dedicated ministry given to all by the Reverend Julie Carson.  We have also been blessed with the addition of Lori Mills–Curran as our deacon and Director of Religious Education.  Our music director, James Ferguson continues to provide us with wonderful music selections that enhance the vocal skills of our talented choir members. 

This incredible period has brought us so many gifts that are now a part of the fabric of St. Andrews:

• The refurbishment of our wonderful facilities thanks to a successful capital campaign.

• The welcome addition of diverse families, young and old.

• A musical life of great richness and diversity.

• A reinvigorated program of education that has fostered the intellectual and spiritual growth for our youth and our adults.

• Energetic outreach toward the broader community.

• A spiritual home for our shared faith in God.

What does it cost to operate our home?

Every home faces financial realities: bills have to be paid to keep food on the table and the heat turned on. St. Andrew’s is no different.   Our budget is dependent upon our pledging units.  Pledges account for approximately $200,000 of our annual budget and we draw from our endowment for at least $60,000 per year to make up the difference.  The endowment has taken a major hit and we can only grow it by not overusing it. We have nearly 100 pledging units whose amount varies greatly.  It costs about $2700 per pledging unit to keep St. Andrew’s working as it does now and we are struggling, as are many parishes, to maintain that funding in a very tough economic time.

What if I can’t afford to pledge $2700?

$2700 is the average amount needed by each of the 100 pledging units but not everyone pledges at the average amount.  Pledges often range from a few dollars per week to up to several times the average.  There is no such thing as a pledge too small, all pledges lead us to our goal and allow us to build a plan for our operating year.  What we ask during this time of stewardship is that you thoughtfully and prayerfully consider how you can contribute to your spiritual home.

The work done this summer for the Capital Campaign has refurbished Harris Hall, fixed a long standing flooding problem and replaced the heating system to help ensure energy efficiency and cost savings for the future. Now we ask you to pledge for 2010 to promote the viability and continuity of your St. Andrew’s home as we cannot survive without you. 

Reflect on your abundance… reflect on your blessings

All gifts, regardless of the amount, contribute to the vitality of St. Andrew’s; every pledge is needed and appreciated. There is no pledge too small and it is never too late to pledge.

It is our hope that for you the intentional act of pledging brings both joy and a sense of communion with the spiritual home that we have created.  It can be scary to give up our resources today and have faith in the future.  Please pray about your pledge response.  

Thank you,

Melanie Levesque (on behalf of the St. Andrew’s Vestry)