Parish Giving

As most of your congregations are now in the midst of stewardship season and budget decisions for the coming year, let me share my preliminary thoughts on diocesan ministries and invite your prayerful consideration of your congregation’s level of financial giving to the diocese for 2012.

First, let me say how grateful I am that parish giving to the diocese is voluntary. I come from a diocese where each congregation is mandated to give a significant percentage of its resources to the diocese.

Several years ago, we struggled to reduce that mandate to 11% for small congregations and 14% for larger ones. Such mandates, in my experience, do not inspire cheerful giving. As your bishop, I find myself asking, what will?

I believe the answer begins with thoughtful, compassionate and effective stewardship of our diocesan resources. A gentleman recently shared with me the opinion that there are several actions a leader can take to set the tone of an organization: resource allocation; hiring decisions; the questions a leader asks and (a close corollary) how a leader spends his or her time.

To that end, my goals for 2012 are to focus diocesan financial resources in support of our core ministries, assure that our diocesan staff is aligned to clearly serve our priorities, and listen carefully to the will of God as discerned collectively among us. In time, I pray we will see the fruit of such focused stewardship in the renewal of our congregations and core ministries and that this, in turn, will inspire our congregations to give 10% of their Normal Operating Income to the diocese. I will present my initial proposals for these changes at Diocesan Convention in January.

As you make your stewardship decisions as individuals and congregations, know that I hold you in prayer in these challenging financial times. May we all be worthy of the gifts entrusted to our care.

A pledge form accompanies this letter. To facilitate our planning and preparation for diocesan convention, we request that you make every effort to return your commitment, if at all possible, by January 13, 2012.

Thank you for all that you are doing and giving in faithfulness to Christ. I am honored to be your bishop.

Faithfully,
Best wishes for the Advent/Christmas pilgrimage.
The Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, D.Min.
Bishop of Washington

 

All Faith, Charlotte Hall                        84,074

All Saints’, Chevy Chase                 1,201,664

All Saints’, Oakley                                94,603

All Souls’                                            517,980

Ascension and St. Agnes                    549,974

Ascension, Gaithersburg                     617,852

Ascension, Lexington Park                 180,171

Ascension, Sligo Parish                       397,118

Atonement                                           301,062

Calvary Church                                   401,086

Christ Church, Accokeek                    193,556

Christ Church, Chaptico                      180,516

Christ Church, Clinton                        161,651

Christ Church, Durham                       129,486

Christ Church, Georgetown              1,608,284

Christ Church, Kensington                  835,092

Christ Church, Port Tobacco               244,129

Christ Church, Rockville                     766,012

Christ Church, Washington                  452,556

Christ Church, Wayside                       136,014

Epiphany, DC                                      634,205

Epiphany, Forestville                           200,707

Good Shepherd                                    370,782

Grace Church, Georgetown                 352,466

Grace Church, Silver Spring                653,181

Holy Comforter                                    232,414

Holy Communion                                  48,339

Holy Trinity, Collington                       355,464

Our Saviour, Brookland                       102,106

Our Saviour, Hillandale                        535,562

Redeemer                                              594,640

St. Alban’s                                          1,487,432

St. Andrew’s, College Park                  504,408

St. Andrew’s, Leonardtown                 215,504

St. Anne’s                                             305,626

St. Augustine’s                                     189,512

St. Barnabas’ Church of the Deaf          11,805

St. Barnabas’, Leeland                         339,962

St. Barnabas’, Temple Hills                 185,408

St. Bartholomew’s                               142,839

St. Christopher’s                                 204,249

St. Columba’s                                   2,269,166

St. David’s                                          368,426

St. Dunstan’s                                      476,827

St. Francis                                         1,179281

St. George's, DC                                 362,744

St. George's, Glenn Dale                    218,064

St. George's, Valley Lee                     147,995

St. James', Indian Head                      161,042

St. James’, Potomac                           583,588

St. John’s, Broad Creek                     298,149

St. John’s, Georgetown                     830,002

St. John’s, Lafayette Square           1,634,966

St. John’s, Mt. Rainier                       187,434

St. John’s, Norwood Parish                890,892

St. John’s, Olney                                 349,709

St. John’s, Zion Parish                        240,211

St. Luke’s, Brighton                            112,643

St. Luke’s, DC                                    336,629

St. Luke’s, Trinity Parish                    416,335

St. Margaret’s                                      588,702

St. Mark’s, DC                                    824,487

St. Mark’s, Fairland                            352,094

St. Mary Magdalene                            242,479

St. Mary’s                                           250,520

St. Matthew’s                                      203,439

St. Michael & All Angels                   150,525

St. Monica’s and St. James’                235,571

St. Nicholas’ Parish                             268,681

St. Patrick’s                                         673,177

St. Paul’s, Baden                                   88,291

St. Paul’s, K Street                              996,032

St. Paul’s, Piney                                  350,779           

St. Paul’s, Rock Creek                     1,974,159

St. Peter’s                                            419,817

St. Philip the Evangelist                      250,984

St. Philip’s, Baden                                58,806

St. Philip’s, Laurel                              392,079

St. Stephen & the Incarnation             260,023

St. Thomas’, DC                                 470,629

St. Thomas’, P.G. County                   182,678

St. Timothy’s                                      412,727

Transfiguration                                   318,963

Trinity Parish, Newport & Hughesville 132,875

Trinity, DC                                         475,925

Trinity, St. Mary’s                               348,012

Trinity, Upper Marlboro                     217,341

Washington National Cathedral      14,878,114