Dear People of St. James’,
If you’ve been at St. James’ for a while, you know that setting down roots at 1941 Webberville was exciting, but it was not an easy transition. The location change of 2007 meant tremendous financial, community-building, and leadership challenges in the years following for the resilient St. James’ community. Over the last couple of years, St. James’ has turned a financial corner through the resolute generosity of its people with time, talent, and treasure, and through thoughtful use of its own resources (a land sale, leasing to organizations aligned with our mission). Now we can maintain what we have, but, can we grow and see new flourishing? I believe the answer to that question is ‘yes’!
This year, the committees of the Vestry have stepped up the frequency of their gatherings in order to implement practices that will lead to greater transparency, conversation, and accountability around our financial and overall health and a strategic appreciation for the non-financial modes of giving that make our church St. James’. We have also started new conversations with our ministries. In the past, the question has been: What do you need to do in order to keep doing what you have been doing? This year, we are daring ministries to pray about what growth would look like and what kind of impact that would have on the church and the greater community. What kinds of resources, financial and people resources, might be needed to support that growth? As a result of this work, we have a stronger foundation to build upon and a compelling vision for the future of St. James’.
The Pauli Murray Scholarship Fund, the brainchild of our congregation, envisions a future where seminarians of color will be able to live into their vocation to ordination, regardless of socioeconomic background. As a parish community, we are taking that vision one step further, imagining St. James’ as a community that equips all people to live into their unique vocation, their call from God to be bearers of good news and changemakers, seeking liberation, reconciliation, and peace. Imagine the life-giving impact such a community of people could have!
Concretely, this vision demands of us bold and non-witholding investment in Christian formation for children and youth: hiring and supporting a Director of Family Ministries; further development of the Children’s Choir; expanded resources for parents, godparents, and grandparents; and investment in the growth of Freedom Schools and Reading buddies, our children’s ministries out in the east Austin community. The vision also calls us to invest in care and formation for older members of our congregation whose call from God does not diminish with age: building up our pastoral care community so that no one falls through the cracks, expanding Neighbor 2 Neighbor to better attend to the needs (physical and relational) of the vulnerable elderly, building up our communications capacities, and nurturing adult formation spaces for reflection on the intersection of life and the gospel.
Every fall, St. James’ begins to map its operating budget for the next calendar year. The primary resource the church has for budget planning is the pledge commitments that come in through during the season of stewardship, this year, September 29-October 27. The family and friends of St. James’ are asked to make a pledge of financial support so that St. James’ can step boldly into its envisioned future. There are a variety of ways to pledge, including a new online pledge card, and a variety of ways to fulfill that pledge over the coming year.
Although you can pledge at any time during the year, the pledges that we receive during stewardship season (by October 27) are crucial in helping the Vestry and the Finance Committee discern what kind of season we are in. Can we not just envision but also take steps to invest in future growth or are we in maintenance mode? What do you hope to see?
Rev. Eileen
