From the Vestry Finance Committee
Dear People of St. James’,
Thank you! Three-quarters of the way through 2026, that is the first thing the Vestry Finance Committee wants to say. This letter shares what your giving has made possible since August, how our finances stand, the current status of our 2027 stewardship pledge campaign, and where we hope to get through your generosity. Please read on, and we kindly have one request: if you have not yet pledged for 2027, please do so by Sunday, November 1 to make a difference in our staffing and programming budget for next year.
Some things your giving has made possible
Expanding Welcome. We welcomed our Huston-Tillotson choral scholars back to the choir. St. James’ hosted a community book launch for Dr. Greg Garrett with his new book White Lies, which brought together people from faith communities, academia, and activists. On September 13, we celebrated UBE Sunday and the feast of Alexander Crummell, with the Rev. Edward Thompson preaching. Hispanic Heritage Month followed with and outpouring of bilingual music, poetry at the Hora de Café, the Rev. Nancy Frausto as our guest preacher, and a convivio with food from different countries of origin. Working together with the three other Spanish-speaking congregations in Austin, we are starting a Sunday night online service and an expanded ministry of pastoral/eucharistic visitation to reach those who don’t feel comfortable leaving their homes because of ICE. We held a three-week book study intentionally focused on bilingual materials which engaged members of our Spanish-speaking and English-speaking communities.
Connecting Generations. The Rev. Addison McMillan, our Associate Rector since July 1, continues to serve as Campus Missioner for East Austin Canterbury and has been walking alongside Huston-Tillotson students after a difficult incident near their campus. This fall our youth served a meal at Trinity Center downtown, our 20s and 30s group served at the convivio at Casa Marianella, and Godly Play continues for our children on Sunday mornings and Sunday afternoons in Spanish. Our new multigenerational hospitality team took over first Sundays, bringing together some tiny church ladies with seasoned hospitality volunteers. We have continued to do archival work to digitize our history, and we are getting organized for our 85th anniversary of ministry in East Austin in December. If you have a St. James’ story to share for that celebration, the office would be glad to help you record it.
Building Partnerships. St. James’ continues to walk with the most vulnerable in our community through Migration with Dignity resources, eviction prevention, court accompaniment, and the Power of Attorney effort. We are also glad that the Healing Hands Community Birthing Project is now settled on our campus alongside Child Inc./Head Start and Welcome Table. St. James’ is now connected with Ponderosa Church, a new missional community that provides spiritual community for children who are residential at Texas Neuro. Our ensemble-in-residence, Inversion Ensemble, filled the parking lot for its Encore Concert and has found a space for choral artistry to thrive at St. James’. Long-time partner of Jazz at St. James’, radio station KAZI held a battle of the bands style fundraiser that highlighted the Jazz programs from Huston-Tillotson and the University of Texas.
Building for the future. In July the Master Plan Committee, chaired by Rudy Green, selected McKinney York Architects, and in August the Vestry authorized the agreement. The parish had already set aside $30,000 for this work. The rest of this year’s cost is being managed within the operating budget. The remainder will be included in the 2027 budget, and we plan to apply for a Cain Grant to help. If you’re not already booked for our Saturday, October 31 session, we hope you will join our Congregational Engagement Session on Saturday, November 7 (bilingual), from 10 am to noon in Founders Hall. Lunch and childcare are provided, and you can RSVP through the office.
How are we doing financially in 2026?
We are glad to report that St. James’ remains in healthy financial shape.
Our budget does not spread evenly across the year. Nearly a third of our planned income arrives in the final quarter, and December’s giving is what brings the year into balance. Through September, income is running a little ahead of the three-quarter mark and expenses a little under it. Pledge attainment is about 76% of budget, which is where we would hope to be at this point, and operating contributions continue to run well ahead of plan.
The fall also brings some expected costs, including the annual audit, follow-up from the September HVAC problem, and the first Master Plan invoices. We are in a stronger position than we were at this time in 2025, but our budget still depends on a strong December. Year after year, the people of St. James’ have come through in the final quarter, and we are grateful for that faithfulness and hopeful for it again this year.
If you pledged for 2026, thank you. If your pledge is not yet complete, the coming weeks are an important time to finish it, and Aimee Estep in the office is happy to send you a statement of your giving so far this year.
Our bank balances total approximately $844,000, including roughly $270,000 in our Rainy-Day Fund, which we continue to grow toward several months of operating expenses. Our endowment, now about $342,000, continues to grow through planned gifts.
Our Pledges for 2027
We ask every household of St. James’ to consider making a 2027 pledge by Sunday, November 1, and, if you are able, to prayerfully consider increasing your pledge from last year.
Our stewardship season, Rooted in Heritage, Moving Forward in Faith, is off to an encouraging start. As of October 27, 89 households have pledged $440,838 for 2027, including 14 households who are pledging for the first time. We are grateful to each of them pledging household.
Of the households renewing a 2026 pledge, 85% have kept or increased it. The median pledge so far is $3,000 a year, or about $58 a week, and about half of the households who have pledged give less than $50 a week. Every pledge, whatever its size, helps us plan for the year ahead.
Last year, 176 households pledged $744,894. Our hope is to welcome back each of those households, invite new ones to join them, and with your generosity, go beyond last year’s total.
Your pledge helps the Vestry Finance Committee plan the staffing, ministry, and Master Plan work St. James’ can take on next year. If you pledged for 2026, we hope you will renew, and if you are new to pledging, we would be glad to have you join us.
Please make your pledge at https://stjamesaustin.org/pledge-for-2027/ or with the card from your stewardship packet. If you would like to know what you pledged last year, Aimee Estep can tell you. You can adjust your pledge during the year if your circumstances change, and setting up automatic recurring giving when you pledge helps the parish plan with confidence.
Looking ahead
- Completing the 2027 stewardship campaign and building the 2027 operating budget from your pledges.
- Supporting the Master Plan through the engagement sessions, the December 6 interim presentation, and the Cain Grant application.
- Completing the annual audit.
- Celebrating 85 years of St. James’ during the week of Dec 5-13.
For 85 years, the people of St. James’ have built a church in East Austin that is rooted in its heritage and moving forward in faith. In this final quarter of 2026, we give thanks for all that you have already given, and we look forward to finishing this year well and beginning the next one together.
Your Vestry Finance Committee, your vestry, and our clergy are working with great care to support the health of this community. We are deeply thankful for our clergy, staff, volunteers, and every one of you who makes St. James’ the welcoming, dynamic, and generous place that it is.
Thank you.
P.S. If you have not yet pledged for 2027, you can do so in a few minutes at https://stjamesaustin.org/pledge-for-2027/. Pledges received by November 1 help us plan the year ahead.
