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LAST WEEK, I talked a bit about Stewardship, a little bit about why I give to the church, and was encouraging us all to review our financial support for St. Francis-in-the-Wood as part of our own spiritual practice and way of life as followers of Jesus.  You can find what I said then here along with links to the “testimonies” Ian McBeath and Don Millerd gave in church on the first two Sundays of the current Stewardship drive.  This past Sunday, parishioner Linsey Keats shared what St. Francis-in-the-Wood means to her.  You can read what she said by clicking on her name or downloading the file below.

NEXT WEEK, after we have received the latest financial report as Parish Council, which takes place on Tuesday, October 30th, I will be in a position to share with you some of the details of where we currently stand financially and of the challenges that face us.  But THIS WEEK I’d like to share with you some analysis of our giving patterns at St. Francis-in-the-Wood put together by our Envelope Secretary Amy Chan.  Please see the chart “2018-10- 08 PAD Donation St Francis-in-the-Wood” available for download below.

Of the 213 households on the parish list (which is a little inflated because of needing to be updated), 75 donate to St. Francis-in-the-Wood by Pre-Authorized Debit (PAD) from their bank account or credit card.  A further 20 donate regularly through the weekly envelopes.  The chart shows the breakdown only for those donating by PAD.  As you will see, of the 75, 44 (59%) donate less than $200 per month, 21 (28%) donate $200-499 per month, and 10 (13%) donate $500 or more per month.  You can see a more detailed breakdown on the chart.

There is always going to be a range of what people feel called and able to give each month, and it is likely to be the case that more people will give lower amounts and fewer people higher amounts.  However, we would clearly be in a healthier state financially if there were a more even spread in the range of giving amounts; specifically, if we could have a few more in the higher categories!  Not that it’s a competition!  But I thought it might be helpful to share this snap-shot of how the bulk of our giving is made up – at least, I find it helpful to know where I stand in relation to the whole picture.  More to follow next week.

Angus Stuart, Rector

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