Seven days of creation. Forty days of rain. The twelve tribes of Israel. The three temptations of Christ.

One church.

Numbers figure prominently in our Scriptures. But they also characterize our church experience. How much does it cost to run a Christian formation course? How do we fund outreach programs or youth mission trips? Yes, even a question as basic and mundane as "how much will our utilities bill be in March?" revolves around numbers.

In dollars and cents, keeping the programs running and the lights on here at the Cathedral can sometimes seem as daunting as the challenge Jesus faced when feeding the great multitude. In that regard, here's another "numbers" question – "How many new pledges do we have?" Unfortunately, for the Cathedral Parish the answer right now is "not enough."

All of us are acutely aware of the present economic uncertainty, and we understand that pledging may not be first on the list of your family's financial priorities. However, the simple fact is that our Cathedral parish ministries will be in serious danger unless more of our parishioners make a financial commitment to the Church. Many of you are aware that the Canon Pastor and Christian Formation positions have already been reduced to part-time status.

The Cathedral Chapter will be making financial decisions regarding Cathedral ministries and programs based upon the results of our Stewardship campaign. In order to help ensure that our ministries are not reduced again, it is vital that more of you make a pledge for 2012. With this in mind, the Stewardship Committee has set a goal of a 10% increase in pledges for the coming year. We are relying on each of you to help us meet our goal. Your pledge can be as little or as much as you can afford and it can be changed at any time if your circumstances change simply by notifying the Dean's Office.

Please join our stewardship campaign this year by committing to be among the new pledging families here at the Cathedral. As always, feel free to talk with the clergy or members of the stewardship committee about pledging at any time.

When the disciples advised Jesus to send the great hungry multitude away, as it was getting late and there was no food to feed them, Jesus replied "Bring them here to me." (Matthew 14:18). Christ's love and guardianship has brought you to Him in this wonderful community at the Cathedral. Help Him feed the multitude this year with your pledge, and help turn so little into so much.

Sincerely,

The Stewardship Committee - Chris Christake, Kerry Mahoney, Kyle Sabo, Chris Scott, Steve Tamke, Otis Thornhill & Bruce Till

>> Please click here for electronic format pledge card to be submitted online. If you have diffculty with this form, please contact Dot Sherlock <dsherlock@dioceseli.org>

>> Please click here for a downloadable 2012 Pledge Card in PDF format to be completed and returned to the Cathedral office via USMail.