My wife, Nicole, was laid off in early November from her job at Redbook magazine. With another baby on the way (due in May!) and our two-year-old son, Liam, rapidly outgrowing all of his clothes, the loss of her salary has been difficult to deal with, but we are doing our best to budget and prioritize. The difficulty of finding a new job in this economic climate is increased due to the fact that she is five months pregnant – it’s difficult to hire someone who is going to take a significant amount of time off in just a few months time. For the time being she is collecting unemployment and seeking freelance work.
Because of the uncertainty, it took a little longer than usual to figure out exactly what our pledge to Saint Mary’s for 2009 would be. When we arrived at Saint Mary’s we made the leap of faith it takes to tithe: 10% flat off the top of our combined salaries. This year the number went down with the loss of over half our income, but the percentage went up a little bit: I did my best to figure out what her unemployment and some potential freelance money will be and added 10% of that to the tithe from my salary. Ideally, she’ll make lots of money, and we’ll have to increase our pledge, but the opposite could also happen. We shall see … and hope and pray too.
I felt bad that we held up our pledge because I knew that the pledge goal set by the Board of Trustees was that much further from being met. I know what is at stake if we don’t make the pledge goal. We have already felt the cuts in staff and program that were necessary to keep the church doing what it does. Those looming next steps will be even more drastic, and I worry that the church might no longer be open every day of the year or that the doors might open a few hours later or shut a few hours earlier each day: first the hours are trimmed, then the church doesn’t open on holidays and Saturdays… it’s a slippery slope, and one I don’t think Saint Mary’s wants to, or can afford to, go down.
By remaining open, we are able to bring people together in ways they would never have imagined. I wonder how many people have become part of life at Saint Mary’s because the doors were open that first time they walked past the church? How many people decided that this was where their heart was after experiencing the visible and audible beauty of a feast day or Sunday Solemn Mass? How many people found our Lord while attending a simple celebration of the Eucharist at a random lunch hour? How many people were inspired for the first time to let their lives reflect the love of God, so obvious in this place so often, by giving time, talent, and money to support the mission and outreach of the church? How many met other people here, in this place, who felt exactly the same zeal for the beautiful news of the resurrection of Jesus Christ?
I know where my pledge goes. Some of it goes to the Diocese to support mission and evangelism, as well as the infrastructure and leadership needed to offer such outreach. Some of it goes to any number of programs for education, mission, and outreach offered by the parish. I think that’s great, but I’m happiest where the bulk of my pledge goes. Most of it goes directly to keeping this building open and staffed. My pledge makes a difference in the lives of innumerable people because it means that Saint Mary’s will be able to continue to be a place that brings people together and inspires them to do things they would not ever have otherwise done.
The economy has not recovered, and to be perfectly frank, I don’t think anyone really expects things to improve in the near future. So be it. Time for me to cut out the steaks, the shows, and the CDs and concentrate on those things that I know make a huge difference in my life and the lives of the people I love. This church makes a huge difference in my life. It’s where my son was baptized and, God willing, where my next child will be baptized. It’s where I have been inspired by other people to say and do things I never would have thought I could say or that I was able to do. It’s a place and community that I will do whatever it takes to support. I am convinced that anyone reading the Angelus weekly newsletter feels the same way I do.
If you haven’t yet pledged because you aren’t sure how much you can give or you aren’t sure if you can give anything at all, please consider that your pledge, whatever it is, will certainly help to ensure that Saint Mary’s will have the same effect on others that it had on you. If you intend to give and support the parish in ways other than a pledge, please know that every gift is greatly appreciated and always needed, but also know that it is only through pledges that we can ensure Saint Mary’s actually remains a place where those gifts can be put to good use. The budget ensures that the building is open and staffed. The budget is supported by pledges. We are about $80,000 or 16% short of our pledge goal for 2009. We’re almost there, but we’re not there yet.
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