Dear Members and Friends of St. John’s, Perhaps you were wondering why there was no pledge card included with our initial Stewardship letter. The Stewardship Task Force was getting ready to stuff and send the letter when one of our parishioners made a pledge along with a commitment for a “Matching Funds Campaign”. This parishioner has generously offered to match increases in our annual pledge amount up to $20,000 in matching funds with a goal of a balanced budget for next year. This is a wonderful opportunity, but we need your help! As you prayerfully make your decision on your pledge for the coming year, the Stewardship Task Force and I believe that you should have the hard facts. At our annual meeting this year we presented a budget for 2023 showing a $30,000 deficit. The estimated budget for 2024 is 10% more than last year. Again, we are projecting a deficit. For the past several years, we have operated with a deficit budget and have had to draw down funds from a limited reserve to meet the gap. This is where we need your help! We know that many of you have prayed over your pledge and are giving as much as you are able. The Vestry, and I are so grateful for this and thank you for your support. Some of you may be in a position to increase your pledge and help us access the maximum in matching funds. So, an increase over last year’s pledge or a new pledge would help greatly. (Please contact me if you need to know how much you pledged for 2023.) For example: Sam’s pledge for 2023 was $2000. For 2024, Sam’s pledge is 2500. The increase of $500 over last year qualifies for the Matching Funds Campaign raising Sam’s total pledge for 2024 to $3000. Thank you for your prayerful consideration of this. I want to assure you that Vestry and I are doing our best to keep costs low as well as ensuring that our mission and church facilities are being fully supported. In Christ, Gary Piper Treasurer gary.piper@stjohnsgranby.org | 
