Dear Members and Friends of St. Peter Orthodox Church,
We are growing up! St. Peter’s is flourishing, and with growth comes increased financial responsibilities. And a big part of our finances is our rent.
OUR CHALLENGE
As many of you know, we doubled our space a little over a year ago which means we also doubled our expenses (rent, utilities, etc.). Commercial leases increase each year therefore our budget must increase each year while we are still in rented space. Our lease expires at the end of 2018 and work is underway to locate a new space. These decisions will be made in 2018 before our lease expires.
Meanwhile, we need your help. As of today, our budget deficit is $40K. This means that our donations to date are $40K less than our expenses. Because of this situation, we have had to borrow $40K out of our relocation fund to pay our monthly bills. We have never had to borrow from this relocation fund until this year.
The relocation fund will be used when we move into a new building. We need to recover the $40,000 borrowed from the relocation fund, and we need an increase in giving to cover the $40K deficit. Please be as generous as possible with your giving between now and the end of the year and into the New Year 2018.
How much will we need in 2018? Our Budget for 2018 is $195,000. We will discuss the budget in detail as well as report on future planning in our first General Assembly meeting to be held on Sunday, January 21, 2018 following the Divine Liturgy.
OUR VISION
St. Peter’s began with the vision to establish a church where those who are seeking Christ can find him. We are building a church not for ourselves, but for the next generation. We want to leave a thriving parish for our children and grandchildren, and those that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ brings to us.
We are evangelical. St. Peter’s exists not to serve ourselves, but our neighbor. We believe that if we serve each other, the wider community, and prepare ourselves for those that our Lord brings to us, we will flourish.
That is exactly what is happening and it will continue if we remain true to the vision. It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ in action.
That’s one reason why we don’t hold festivals or endless fund-raisers. We either support this vision or we don’t. It’s why we only talk about budgets and giving at this time of the year.
We are convinced that that if we our faithful to our vision God will bless us. And God has blessed us. That is why we are growing.
WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO TODAY?
Please fill out a pledge card and prayerful consider what you can commit to St. Peter’s. Please understand that the commitment should be sacrificial. St. Peter’s cannot flourish unless we support it with our whole heart, and that our financial commitment reflects our interior commitment.
Thank you to everyone who filled in their card in 2017 and everyone who faithfully supported the parish.
You can download a stewardship card on the website or pick one up on Sunday.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Hans Jacobse
Parish Priest
Jack Long
Parish Council President
The Parish Council of St. Peter’s Orthodox Church