This feature requires Macromedia Flash Download Here

Worship

The Wardens

The Heart of All We Do
The Stewardship Campaign

    The Heart of All We Do is in full swing under the able leadership of Corey Burr and Gail Feagles. As your Wardens, we would like to cover three key points with you.
    First, on behalf of the Vestry and the clergy at St. Francis, we thank all of you for all that you give to St. Francis in terms of your time, your talent, and your treasure. Without your time, your efforts and your financial contributions, St. Francis would not be the parish that it is today.
    Second, we would remind you that there are a lot of great things going on at St. Francis these days.
    • Worship remains our central focus, and we are blessed
    to worship every Sunday in keeping true to the tradition 
    of Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion and true
    to Biblical teaching. We are fortunate to have both Billy
    Shand and Phil Ellsworth to lead our worship experience.
    We also are fortunate to have a fine music program under
    the leadership of Gary Davison.
    • We have a strong Christian education program both for
    young people and for adults.
    • We have developed an outstanding youth program
    under the leadership of David Hirsch and the devoted
    volunteer assistance of Craig Windham and Betsy
    Harrison.
    • We have an active seniors program, which is striving to
    meet the needs of an important and growing constituency
    within our Parish.
    • We have a strong outreach program that aids those in  
    need both locally and in the far reaches of the world.
    • We continue to have a vibrant Day School committed to
    education of children in an Episcopal environment under
    the dedicated leadership of Pat Talbert Smith.

    Third, as your Wardens, we are obligated to state to you clearly and simply the current financial situation of St. Francis and the importance of your financial stewardship to St. Francis. We cannot do so any more directly or succinctly than to put it this way:
        Without a significant increase in pledge revenues in
        this stewardship campaign, St. Francis will not be able
        in the coming year to continue all of its programs and 
        operations at their current level.

    In each of the last three years (2004 to 2006), we experienced an operating loss, which ranged from almost $100,000 in 2004 to $60,000 in 2005. We currently anticipate that the shortfall in 2007 will again be in the $70,000 to $80,000 range. There are several reasons for these shortfalls, including a decrease in the amount received by the Church from the Day School due to declining enrollment in the Day School (this support has decreased by thirty-five percent since 2004) and a couple of years in which pledge revenues were less than budgeted.
    St. Francis Parish is not in the position to continue to absorb deficits of this level in 2008 or future years. Accordingly, the vestry will confront some very hard choices in late November and December when it adopts the budget for next year. The challenge is not an increase in our operating expenses. They have grown at less than the rate of inflation since 2004 (hence, there has been no “real” increase in the Parish’s spending in that period.) The challenge is to see more of an increase in our giving, and to see more of us giving more generously.
    Your decision about stewardship is not about meeting a budget, and it is not about scarcity or shortfalls. Instead, it is making palpable what is private information. We remember the teachings of the Apostle Paul, who said, “Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9: 7). Faithful Christian stewardship is a soul returning to the Lord for his work a meaningful proportion of what a grateful heart has received from his hands. So this is what we ask: we ask you to talk to God—to say your prayers—about what God wants you to do. That communication is an act of worship, and it is at the heart of all we do.
    On behalf of the vestry and the clergy, we thank you for your prayerful consideration of these important matters and your continued support of St. Francis. 

                     Prentiss Feagles              Ellen Tozer
                     Senior Warden                Junior Warden
 		     
“Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9: 7)


". . .this is what we ask: we ask you to talk to God—to say your prayers—about what God wants you to do. That communication is an act of worship, and it is at the heart of all we do."