Click Herefor the 2027 Pledge Card - due November 15
Click Here for a PDF to print out for the Time and Talent Survey
Click Here for the Time and Talent online Survey
The letter written below was published in the November Newsletter by the Finance Committee:
It's a question many of us wrestle with in our own lives, and one we're considering together during this year's stewardship season. We know too well what it feels like to worry that there isn't enough. Enough time, enough energy, enough resources to meetall the needs before us.
Yet Jesus invites us to look around and see our lives through the lens of abundance, not scarcity. To recognize the gifts already in our midst, to trust in God's care, and to imagine what might become possible when everyone shares from what we've been given.
As we look toward another year of life and ministry together at John Knox, we're taking that invitation seriously.
Through your generosity, our congregation continues to be a place of meaningful worship, authentic belonging, active growth, and generous service, a community where people are welcomed, cared for, and invited to share God's love with our neighbors. We have so much to be grateful for, and so much worth nurturing and sustaining.
And we have important work ahead of us.
After years of difficult cuts and stretched resources, our Session and Stewardship Committee are working to build a more responsible, sustainable financial foundation for our church. We hope to care more intentionally for our property, provide fair and sustainable support for our staff, rebuild resources for our ministries, and strengthen our financial reserves.
We know we cannot do everything at once. But faithful stewardship isn't simply about making do with less or assuming we'll always have more. It's about caring wisely for what we've been given and investing thoughtfully in what matters most.
With these priorities in mind, we've set a collective pledge goal of $260,000 for 2027, up from approximately $240,000 pledged for 2026. This goal reflects both the rising costs of sustaining our church's ongoing ministry and our desire to begin building a stronger financial foundation for the years ahead.
And that's where your 2027 pledge comes in.
Each fall, we invite members and friends of John Knox to make a financial pledge for the coming year. A pledge is simply an estimate of what you intend to give to the church over the next year. It isn't a bill or a binding obligation. Rather, pledges help us anticipate the resources we'll have available so we can build a responsible budget, make thoughtful decisions, and plan for the ministries we share.
Every one of us has a part to play in the life of this church, and every pledge, whatever its size, helps make our shared ministry possible. Whether you've pledged faithfully for years or are considering it for the first time, whether you're able to maintain your current pledge or increase it in the coming year, we invite you to prayerfully consider the gifts you've received, what this community means to you, and how your generosity can help support its present and future.
On Pledge Sunday, November 15, we'll have the opportunity to offer our pledges of financial and prayerful support together in worship and online. As we do, we'll give thanks for the gifts God has entrusted to us and the ways those gifts multiply and become a blessing to many when shared.
We are so thankful for the ways you give to the life and ministry of John Knox. May we continue to discover, together, what becomes possible when we trust in God's provision and generously share from what we've been given.
With gratitude, John Knox Presbyterian Church Stewardship Committee
Dave Bolin, Finance Committee Chair
Linda Koeplin, Benevolent Treasurer
Rev. Michelle Vecchio-Lyzenga, Pastor
