St. Peter's by-the-Sea
Episcopal Church
Steward:  a fiscal agent.

Fiscal:  of or relating to financial
Matters.

Agent:  a means or instrument by  
which a guiding intelligrence  achieves a result.

What is a pledge?

It is a spiritual commitment, discerned through prayerful
consideration of the gifts you have been given as a result of
your health, your intellect, your energy, the circumstances of
your birth, your education, and all of the areas where your life
has been blessed.

The consideration of a pledge amount begins from what you
know about your present situation; if circumstances change, a
pledge can be increased or decreased.  Pledges guide the Vestry
in planning the annual budget.  

If there were no pledges it would be impossible to make
financial commitments to our staff, expenses and ministries.

Take a pledge card in hand and lift your prayers to God for
guidance.  What have you been given/What can you give?

How Much do I Pledge and How do I Decide?

In the Bible there is mention of a “tithe”, a specific obligation to
give back to God one-tenth of what we have received. That is
10% and is a very high goal to strive toward.  It is not an
obligation at St. Peter's. There is no obligation at St. Peter's. In
fact, at St. Peter's we recognize the great world-wide need for
giving and feel that the 10% goal is an overall goal. Instead of
starting with 10% we urge each person to consider giving an
amount that is challenging and that involves sacrifice.  St.
Peter's is a more significant presence in your life when you have
stretched yourself to give from your gifts.

Proportional Giving

The tithe that's mentioned in the Bible is a way of proportional
giving.   In the example of the tithe the giver gives a one-tenth
portion to God.

Ten percent is perhaps too high for many to think about.  If
such is the case for you, then pick some other percentage of
your income.  The national average of pledging is 2.6% of
income.
Your Personal Worksheet:  For
calculations,use the Adjusted Gross Income from
your previous year's tax return.

This is not a "form-fill" document.  You can print
this worksheet and complete it in privacy.

1.  Last year my gift to St. Peter's was     
$___________.

2.  Last year my income was $__________.

3.  Divide your gift by your income to
learn the percentage.  For example:  
$200 annual gift divided by $10,000
income is 2%.  $600 annual gift divided
by $40,000 income is 1.5%
4.  The percentage of my gifts last year
was __________%.

You might consider increasing the percentage of
gifts from year-to-year in an attempt to approach
the tithe.
5.  After prayer and reflection I wish to
base my pledge on _________% of my
income.

6.   The amount I will pledge as my
estimate of giving for next year is
$____________.  
Multiply the income as shown in step 2 above by
the percentage you have determined in step 5..
No matter what percentage you choose to give,
proportional giving is a logical way to plan your own
personal budget.  Even when you don't consciously set a
percentage to give, any regular and intentional giving of a
specific amount of money is a proportion of your income; it
remains only to define the percentage.

No matter what percentage you choose to give,
proportional giving is a logical way to plan your own
personal budget.  Even when you don't consciously set a
percentage to give, any regular and intentional giving of a
specific amount of money is a proportion of your income; it
remains only to define the percentage.

We urge you to commit to St. Peter's through the small step
of completing a pledge card in the Fall and keeping a record
of your gift increases over the years by using the Personal
Worksheet.

Then, each year, you might build upon that initial pledge by
increasing the percentage an amount in your goal to work
toward the tithe, the Biblical “tenth”.  In doing so you will
be joining the majority of givers to St. Peter's; you will be in
good company, growing together in faithfulness to the Lord
our God.

A pledge is not something that is cast in concrete.  It is
merely a statement you make about how much you plan to
give over the coming year.  If you find you are unable to
keep your pledge, you can change it.  If you find you can
give more, then you can do so.

Pledges assist the church in preparing for the future. When
the Vestry prepares the annual budget they must be able to
estimate the amount that will be available so that they can
be good stewards of your gifts.  The total of all the pledges
provides a reasonable estimate of income for the next year.

Sometimes it is necessary for the rector and others at St.
Peter's to discuss the subject of money.  The church is
supported by donations from members of the congregation
and from guests and supporters.  The annual budget and
the financial reports are available for all to read.
Proportional Giving Chart:
You may find an online pledge form
if you follow this link.
    St. Peter's by-the-Sea Episcopal Church                             Weekly Schedule:   Sunday                                    Wednesday                             The First Saturday of alternate months:
    545 Shasta Avenue                                                                                                       8:00 AM Holy Eucharist        10:00 AM  Holy Eucharist                 Service at the Prado Day Center
    Morro Bay, CA  93442                                                                                                  10:30 AM  Holy Eucharist                                                                              

    Phone  805-772-2368      Fax  805-772-5765
    stpeters1@sbcglobal.net