Annual Stewardship Report and Appeal

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This past Sunday, as part of our Annual Stewardship Report and Appeal, I shared three thank-yous I wanted to send out in an email to our parish family to ensure everyone heard it.

Our Annual Stewardship Report tells the story of your generosity over the past year and the lives that were touched by your gifts to our Sunday offertory. I am so grateful for your generosity! Please download a copy of the report to read the story of your giving and the impact it made in the lives of others this past year.

Preparing the report this year led me to these three thank-yous that I share with you from my heart:

1. Thank You for Your Generous Gifts to our Sunday Offertory!
   Our Stewardship Report summarizes our parish finances for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. As you'll see, we ended the year in the black, but thanks to your giving, we were able to save and set aside extra funds for our Capital Reserve. The report also contains some interesting charts that show where our gifts come from and the typical range of weekly gifts. The best news, however, is not just your generous giving but the many lives that were touched and impacted by your generosity. This year, our report highlights just a few of the many ways you are making a difference: St. Vincent de Paul Outreach, our Childcare Ministry, Marriage Enrichment, and our Ministry to the Sick and Homebound. Thank you!

2. Thank You for Your Commitment to our Parish Family!
   Your generous giving is a beautiful sign of your love for God and our parish family. People don't give to nameless institutions; they give when relationships have formed, and they have a personal connection with those to whom they are being generous. Your commitment to our parish family is especially evident this year as we deal with the inconveniences and small hassles of spending the year in the Parish Activities Center for Mass. Your readiness to deal with the inconveniences shows your commitment to our parish family and the friendships and relationships you have formed over the years. As your pastor, I am so touched by this and love seeing your love for one another. This is exactly what the Lord desires our parish to be.

3. Thank You for Keeping our Parish Growing!
   Although we have been blessed with a vibrant and growing parish, the Lord still has so much in store for us! While it would be easy just to maintain what we have, you have been so quick to join me in asking the Lord, "What's next? What are you asking of us?" I am so grateful for your readiness to serve the Lord and to do whatever he is asking of us. Your generosity with our Capital Campaign and the vision to address the many needs of our church building is a big part of this. But the real growth the Lord desires is not limited to our buildings - it extends to our parish family and the many people the Lord still wants to draw to St. John to experience his love and mercy through our parish. Thank you for your readiness to invite and draw others to the Lord through our parish family!

Please download a copy of our 2024 Stewardship Report and know how grateful I am for your generosity and readiness to help us grow.

If you have any questions about the financial summary for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, please don't hesitate to reach out to our finance team (Trisha or Jennifer) by email or phone (410-647-4884). 

God bless you!

Sincerely in Christ,

Fr. Erik