From the Rector
“For my house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.” (Isaiah 56:7)
Dear friends,
For the next handful of weeks, I want to situate our 2027 stewardship campaign within the arch of giving trends since 2024.
The numbers, then, for 2026: we received 48 pledges, with a total amount of $311,522. That’s an average pledge of nearly $6,500. To put it in perspective, the average total pledge across the Episcopal Church per household is $3,100.
There’s an encouraging picture here.
Although the number of annual pledges has declined in recent years, from 65 in 2024 to 56 in 2025 and 48 this year, much of that shift reflects the deaths of beloved members of our parish family and parishioners relocating.
Likewise, the total amount pledged continues to grow. In 2024, 65 households pledged $283,553. In 2025, 56 households pledged $276,065. This year, only 48 households have pledged $311,522, the late feat total since 2021. The average pledge has also risen steadily, from roughly $4,140 in 2023, to $4,360 in 2024, to $4,930 in 2025, and nearly $6,500 this year, double the average across The Episcopal Church. Keep in mind too that individual parish averages across the church range from $2,000 and $5,900 per pledging household.
So, while the number of pledging households at Saint Andrew’s has become smaller, the financial commitment of these pledges has grown significantly. The average pledge this year is nearly 50% higher than it was just three years ago.
As an aggregate, these numbers tell of a community that responds to the Spirit’s, as the size and diversity of our church family shifts, and the strains and stresses of the economy bear down.
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Many give without pledging, so perhaps a pledge, as far as it goes, is beside the point. The church receives generous non-pledge gifts, special offerings, gifts from visitors and friends of the parish, and gifts made in memory of loved ones. Non-pledge giving has grown significantly, from $33,713 in 2023 to more than $80,700 in 2025.
There’s an opportunity to broaden our pledge base this year. I encourage you to pledge as a spiritual practice of thanksgiving for God’s unceasing generosity towards us. A pledge establishes our shared purpose as benefactors and stewards.
This year, the Stewardship Committee and I ask you to consider taking one step forward in your giving. Just a 5% increase across our current pledges would provide roughly $15,600 in additional support for the ministry of Saint Andrew’s, about $1,300 per month. For some, that might mean increasing a pledge by 3%; for others, 5%, 7%, or more. If you have not pledged in the past, we ask that you take a step of faith with us and invest in the living heritage of Saint Andrew’s.
Gratefully yours in Christ, whose love for Saint Andrew’s exceeds abundantly above all that we ask or imagine ~
Fr. Peter
