Our Church is a Nest Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:12 S t e w a r d s h i p Campaign 2018
Erik Scheier Stewardship Elder Robin, Erik Scheier and family Were you like me? When you found out that WPC was losing its senior pastor, did you lose a little sleep over the future of our church? Our family joined WPC right around the same time the Lowers arrived. An energetic and charismatic pastor, with a lovely young family, in a lot of ways David Lower was Winnetka Presbyterian Church for us. I wondered if WPC would have the same spirit and energy without him. I worried about losing some members, and whether or not we could attract new members. That summer when I joined the session for the first time, I learned about how vital our community is at WPC. Senior members assured us that our church had been through many periods of transition, and yet the community endured. A community that found its strength and purpose not just from senior leadership, but from a shared history, a commitment to practicing the faith together, and most importantly, a commitment to loving and supporting one another. At the DNA event, we learned more about our rich cultural past and the things members cherish most about the church: the unpretentious welcome, the nurturing of youth, the wonderful music program and our commitment to mission, to name a few. In time we were blessed with an amazing interim pastor, David Boumgarden, and we continue to attract new members, who are instantly struck by the best qualities of our Christian community. Our stewardship theme this year is Our Church is a Nest, borrowed from David Boumgarden s book on the role of the church in modern times. David writes that churches are meant to be the nests of faith where individual faith is born, nurtured and finally given wings to fly. As we reflect on the strengths and purpose of our community it seems an apt and rich metaphor. We are first drawn to WPC so that we and our families can have a closer relationship to God. As our faith deepens and grows, we are better equipped to participate in God s plan for the world. But there s a flip side to this story. Just as we need the church, the church needs us! There are physical and financial needs that require our attention and resources. At rally day we asked you to consider your talents and passions and apply those to the many needs of our community. Think of the many functions of the church that require our time and talent like worship, fellowship, adult and youth education and outreach. Lastly, we are at our best when we are growing. Adding members depends on your generous welcome. This year Commitment Sunday will be on November 19th. Like last year, we will have a special ceremony in which we ask that everyone submit his or her pledge card in front of the church. We will still offer opportunities to pledge online, but we think it s important to publicly pledge together to support WPC. As the church continues to go through a period of transition, we hope you also take the opportunity to prayerfully discuss and consider your family s pledge for 2018. Take comfort in the knowledge that God has given everything we, and our church, need. Faithfully, Erik Scheier 2
Rev. Dr. David Boumgarden Interim Senior Pastor For your generosity not only meets the needs of God s people but also provides an outpouring of gratitude to God. 2 Corinthians 9:12 It has been Jane and my joy and privilege to be a part of your wonderful faith community over the past 15 months. We have been embraced by your care and inspired by your service. Using our metaphor of the nest, you have been building a solid and durable nest here to nurture the faith and vision in our rapidly changing times for all who walk through your doors. You are a living witness to Jesus Christ. Thank you for helping to provide a place of spiritual shelter for so many and a place for launching out in mission to the North Shore. We need more congregations like WPC. But this doesn t happen apart from the resourcing of faithful followers of Christ like yourselves. And it is through each of our gifts of time, talent, and financial resources that will enable us to thrive by both strengthening the faith formation that occurs in our nest and launching from the nest into new mission ventures. Could it be that some of WPC s best years are still ahead? Over the years Jane and I have learned that we have grown more generous in character as we ve grown in our spiritual discipline of generous financial giving. And we invite you to a similar commitment in the year ahead. The Apostle Paul tells us through his letter to the church in Corinth that fruitful nest-building for mission includes: Intentional Giving ( You should each give then as you have decided 2 Corinthians 9:7a) With an attitude of thankfulness ( God loves one who gives gladly 2 Corinthians 9:7b) And a growing trust in God s provision for meeting your needs ( And God is able to give you more than you need. 2 Corinthians 9:8) And with an ever-expanding awareness that our generosity both: Meets real needs ( This service you perform not only meets the needs of God s people 2 Corinthians. 9:12a) And gives a ring of integrity to our witness we put our money behind what we say we value ( but also produces an outpouring of gratitude to God. 2 Corinthians. 9:12b) So come join us in building the nest at WPC even stronger in the year ahead so that our mission might bring even more glory to God among our neighbors and friends. With Gratitude for the Privilege of Helping Us Strengthen the Nest Together, Pastor David Jane and Interim Pastor David Boumgarden 3
How has WPC supported you and your family? We have had a challenging couple of years and WPC has supported us through this difficult time. They have become our church family providing us with constant love and support. --Ken & Elizabeth Probst Ken and Elizabeth Probst My family and I see WPC as the home of my soul for as long as we have lived here. A place that generously welcomed us. I love WPC because it has challenged me to explore, to question, to discover and to grow. I have seen God's grace towards me through acceptance, love, hope, worship, service and work. --Rebeca Massey Rebeca and David Massey WPC has given our family a welcoming church home and a community of Christian friendship. It has been an enriching experience to be an active member at WPC for almost 10 years, and we are very grateful that God led me to this special "nesting place. A place of shelter, companionship, and service...working with others in the ministries of the church to build a strong community, our "nest"...all essential in actively building/growing our faith. It gives me joy to express my gratitude to God each week by singing in the choir. -- Lynne Frid Lynne and Kevin Frid 4
"WPC has been a place for us to deepen our faith, raise our family and find a supportive community. WPC has offered us opportunities to grow spiritually, through worship, retreats, Sunday School (and more!), to develop personally through leadership and service opportunities and to build meaningful relationships and friendships. We are grateful to have a nurturing place to help guide and mentor our son as he has grown from a preschooler to a teenager and to stand beside us as we walk through life." --The Marshalls WPC is full of interesting & caring people. I feel a welcoming spirit every time I'm there. I'm glad our family belongs to this church community. --Susan Langan Our family has known WPC as our steady rock and place of growing faith during the past 30 years. Three children grew up from grade school ages through high school with WPC an important part of their youth experience through youth focused ministry from senior pastors and youth pastors over their school years. God and this church have also supported us in so many ways through testing times such as job loss and serious physical injury. It is a place we have learned to serve this church and others and love to serve. --Bob and Sherri Lewis Tim, Peter and Emily Marshall Andy, Drew, Susan Langan Bob and Sherri Lewis How has WPC supported you and your family? 5
Gifts Talking about financial giving does not have to be uncomfortable should view Financial Stewardship as a spiritual discipline which allows us to grow closer to God. The Hebrew Bible recommends practice of tithing-- giving 10% of your income to God through your place of worship There are various giving guidelines in the but there is a consistent message that giving to God and community is essential for a strong relationship with God. At WPC we encourage everyone participate in the stewardship campaign and to give within their means. There is no amount too Please prayerfully consider increasing your giving over time by putting a generous portion of treasure in God's hands for that is where our hearts * These figures represent the total pledge amount committed, not the actual amount received. Year Total Pledges* Number of Pledges Average Pledge 2012 $473,000 84 $5,700 2013 $481,000 81 $5,900 2014 $556,000 84 $6,600 2015 $492,000 78 $6,300 2016 $520,000 71 $7,300 2017 $445,000 78 $5,700 Winnetka Presbyterian Church Pledge Break Down 2017 Number of Pledges Over $10,000 16 $5,000 - $9,999 11 $2,000 - $4,999 35 $2,000 16 Total 78 Average per family $5,700 6
Finances In the last few years, our church has adapted to changes in the congregation leadership community, and culture The demographics of our church have changed, the role of the church in the community has changed, and the dominant culture is changing ways we relate to each other. We continue to adapt to these evolutions from a position of strength as we grow in young families and rise to every challenge. But change even when positive, is strenuous and uncertain when it comes to resources Between 2012 and 2014 WPC experienced small net operating losses, even Ro and Steve Miller after launching end of year fundraising campaigns. In an effort to address this trend, operating costs were lowered to match revenues. In 2017, through a combination of generous financial stewardship and responsible management of the Church s resources, WPC experienced a small operating surplus. In spite of this, the finance committee recognizes that pressure still remains on the budget, and is looking to cut expenses even further in 2018. This year's stewardship goal is to receive a total estimate of giving of representing a 5% increase over actual pledge income received in 2017. A secondary goal for the 2017 stewardship campaign is to receive 90+ of giving. Please prayerfully consider the church's goals and While we ve gained some members in this transitional period, and continue to attract new members to our wonderful church, in order to be fiscally responsible, WPC has pared down expenses to match revenues the last few years. In order to continue to attract new members and remain impactful, we should also have an eye towards maintaining and growing our resources. We thank you in advance for your consideration and generosity. Faithfully, Steve Miller, Finance Elder Where Giving Goes Projected 2018 Budget $(000 s) Staffing $375.0 Buildings & Utilities 95.0 Missions & Evangelism 30.0 Music, Worship & Deacons 40.0 Administration & Supplies 27.0 Educational 20.0 Per Capita 13.0 Total $600.0 5% 16% 7% 3% 2% 5% 63% 63% 16% - B & G 7
Our Church is a Nest Important Dates October 22 - Megan Sullivan - Welcome October 29 - Leigh Sears - Learning November 5 - Sandy McCausland - Worship November 12 - Mission November 19 - Erik Scheier Commitment Sunday! 1255 Willow Road Winnetka, IL. 60093 office@winnpres.org winnpres.org David Boumgarden Geoff Duffy Nancy Holly Rev. Diann Santschi Interim Senior Pastor davidb@winnpres.org, 847.446.7777, x. 20 Director of Music Associate Director of Worship geoff@winnpres.org 847.446.7777, x. 24 Director of Children s Ministry nancy@winnpres.org 847.446.7777, x. 21 Parish Associate of Pastoral Care & Counseling diann@winnpres.org 847.446.7777, x. 25 Michael Jin Dina Price Chris Kenneally Rev. Kathy Dale McNair Accountant mike@winnpres.org 847.446.7777, x. 26 Administrator office@winnpres.org 847.446.7777, x. 22 Custodian chris@winnpres.org Specialized Minister Mental Health Ministry kdmcnair@comcast.net 8