Stewardship

A Letter from the Stewardship Co-Chairs

Friends and Members of St. Monica and St. James,

As we begin this year’s Annual Pledge Campaign, we want to thank you for your ongoing, generous support of St. Monica and St. James Episcopal Church. Our parish community has overcome significant odds this year thanks to the dedication of our staff leadership and your steadfast devotion to our shared faith. Over the past year and a half:

● Your donations enabled us to complete improvements to our physical church home, including purchasing a new bell rope and repairing a critical sewer issue.

● Your faithfulness and support of the vestry enabled us to call a rector to lead our worship and guide us spiritually.

● Your enthusiasm in our welcoming ministry has resulted in growth in attendance at Sunday services and an increase in parish membership.

Without you, none of this would have been possible. Your presence and participation in this parish church shows that St. Monica and Saint James–Capitol Hill is dedicated to neighborliness, service, and the living God whom we worship in the beauty of holiness. We are so honored and glad to have you to work alongside, especially during these unpredictable times. 

During the coming year at St. Monica and St. James, we seek to build on these successes, looking to “share abundantly in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8) by building a solid financial base for our parish. We are operating with a deficit this year, and we seek a balanced budget for 2026 that will allow us to continue our growth and outreach efforts in the community.

We are a vibrant, growing parish with many opportunities for worship, fellowship, and service. Your financial support is crucial. We know that it is not enough to simply believe; we must act on that faith to serve our neighbors for Jesus Christ’s sake. You already do this all the time, in so many ways.

Included with this mailing is a pledge card for your 2026 donations. We ask that you prayerfully consider how you will contribute next year. Your financial support enables us to continue to bear joyful witness to all that Jesus is doing in our midst and to join Jesus in caring for others. If you have any questions about what it means to pledge to St. Monica and St. James Episcopal Church, please get in touch with any member of the Stewardship Committee, Father David, or any member of the vestry.

Faithfully,

SMSJ Stewardship Committee 

Shawn Freeman 

Ian Nelson 

Gabby Walton 

Great Thanksgiving Charlie Brown!

Leaving out Charlie Brown, “Great Thanksgiving” is the theme of St. Monica’s and St. James’s 2024 Stewardship campaign. This is the time of year that I, as your new Rector. ask each member of SMSJ to consider your gratitude to the God you have met here in this beautiful and loving church. And from that gratitude, I hope you will offer something back to God by way of a pledge of financial support to this parish in the coming year.

The very name of our worship service – The Holy Eucharist – is grounded in thanksgiving. The Greek eucharistia means to give thanks, and the prayer of consecration is called The Great Thanksgiving. Every Sunday, we re-present the saving acts of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who has reconciled us to God the Father, and who feeds us with his very self and nourishes us with eternal life. So, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s possession for ever. What greater reason could we have to give thanks for this church?

You might have noticed the Offertory Sentence I’ve been giving every Sunday: “All things come of thee, O Lord, and of thine own have we given thee.” That is King David speaking from the Book of 1st Chronicles, reminding us that everything we have earned has come from God in the first place. God has given us whatever talents and skills that we have made good use of. And wherever we have caught a break, or someone took a chance on us, God’s grace was behind that.

I hope that you will prayerfully take into account your particular circumstances, and then pledge some level of support to that part of the Eucharistic Body of Christ known as St. Monica and St. James. And please know how grateful I am to God for having brought us together.

Gratefully Yours,

Fr. David

The Rev. David P. Kendrick, Rector

Parish of St. Monica and St. James