Emmanuel Stewardship Campaign 2023

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
​To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.  
2 Peter 3:18​​

With Generous Hearts:

A Guide To Giving At Emmanuel

What Is Stewardship?

Stewardship begins not with a campaign, strategy, or plan.  It is not rooted in the nuts and bolts of running a church. Stewardship begins with our awareness of God's abundance and our response. Being grateful and responsible stewards of the gifts we receive from God is at the heart of stewardship. It is about reaching out to build relationships and to serve God from a perspective of abundance instead of scarcity. 
 
Each Fall, Emmanuel Greenwood solicits financial pledges for the coming year. Pledges allow the church to more effectively plan and budget for the coming year. Whatever your commitment, it is important to return a pledge card for our records and planning purposes. 
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​As faithful Christians we contribute our treasure, our time, and our talents to serving others and sharing God’s love.  Our Ministry Guide page outlines many ways you might serve our church or the larger community. 

What Is A Pledge?

A pledge is a commitment to give a certain amount of money to help the Emmanuel community sustain and grow. You are welcome here, and your pledge helps us extend that welcome to others. Annual pledges and the Sunday offerings are the main source of funding for Emmanuel's operating expenses.

Why Should I Pledge?

Pledging is about your relationship with God and Emmanuel. Pledging to Emmanuel is different from financial contributions you might make to your alma mater or charitable organizations. A pledge acknowledges that everything we have comes from God. It allows you to share your many blessings while simultaneously furthering God’s mission of love and compassion in the world. Pledging gives you an opportunity to put your faith in action and deepen your connection with God.

Practically speaking, a pledge lets you plan your charitable giving for the year and makes tax accounting easier. 

In addition, pledging benefits Emmanuel greatly. The church depends upon your financial contributions, in addition to your commitment and participation in other parish activities, to do its work and ministry. Making a pledge enables our vestry to better plan how to use our resources. The Vestry establishes an annual budget based upon the total amount pledged to the church. While regular non-pledged giving is important, a pledge helps the Vestry plan more accurately and better enables our ministries to thrive and grow.

How Do I Pledge?

Pledge cards will be mailed in October. You may fill one out and return it to the church, either by mail; by placing it in the offering plate during worship services; or by delivering it to the Church office.  Complete a pledge card online here.  

If you have any questions, please contact:
Stewardship Chair, Pati Cunningham,  434-531-7542
Senior Warden, Kelly McCaskill, 202-714-9098

How Do I Fulfill My Pledge?

Returning your pledge card represents your promise to make a financial contribution to Emmanuel Episcopal. You may pay your pledge on any schedule that suits your needs: weekly, monthly, quarterly, or in one annual payment. 

​Direct Giving
You can support the ministry of Emmanuel Episcopal by placing 
cash or checks in the offering plate during Sunday services, or by mailing checks, made out to “Emmanuel Episcopal” to the Emmanuel Episcopal Church, PO Box 38, Greenwood, VA 22943. Once you have pledged you will be given the option to receive envelopes to use in the offering plate. Contact the church office if you need envelopes.

Automatic Giving Through Your Bank
Schedule your monthly pledge via the online bill pay services at your bank. You can add Emmanuel as an account and schedule automated payments. Please contact your bank directly for more information. Be sure to give the mailing address to the bank: Emmanuel Episcopal Church, PO Box 38, Greenwood, VA 22943.

Online Through VANCO
This link will take you to our convenient new online giving page where you can schedule bank drafts from your account or pay by credit card. We have partnered with Vanco to provide a safe and secure online giving option for our parishioners. 

Stock, Securities, IRA Accounts and Donor Advised Funds
You can receive tax benefits with a gift of appreciated stock. For more information, call your personal financial advisor.  You may also contact Sandy von Thelen at 434 328-7643 or svonthelen(at)dadco.com for details. The Emmanuel Episcopal Church gift account is at D.A. Davidson, DTC # is 0361, account number is 1539-5841.
 
If you are 70-1⁄2 and have a traditional IRA, an IRA charitable transfer may be a good choice. You may transfer up to $100,000 annually directly from your IRA tax-free. For details, consult your financial advisor or call our office. Emmanuel can provide you a sample letter to send to the plan administrator.
 
If you have a donor advised fund (DAF), you recommend grants to charity from your DAF. Please let us know that you will use your DAF to makes gifts unless you wish to remain anonymous.
 
Matching Gifts
Check with your employer. Some employers match contributions to charitable organizations. This benefit may double your gift.
Emmanuel Episcopal Church, PO Box 38, Greenwood, VA 22943 
Federal Tax ID: 54-1349792

How Much Should I Pledge?

Because pledging is about your relationship with God and Emmanuel, your pledge should be made thoughtfully and deliberately.

Proportional giving is based on the premise that the first fruits are given back to God in grateful response to what God has given us. It refers to a conscious effort to determine an appropriate level of giving. Each parishioner is asked to consider making an annual pledge in proportion to income, moving toward the Biblical norm of a “tithe” – 10%. Not many of us can begin giving at that level, but all of us can begin with a percentage, a proportional gift, and move toward the tithe.​

All pledges are accepted with deep gratitude and recognition of the sacrifices each of us makes in our lives. If you have not pledged before, please give serious thought to making a pledge this year. If you are among the many generous-hearted people who have pledged before, please consider the possibility of raising your pledge as a way to further support Emmanuel.

If you have any questions about Stewardship or making a pledge, please feel free to call the church office or Pati Cunningham, the chair of our Stewardship Committee. They would be happy to speak with you and answer any questions you might have.

Reflections on Pledging

by Kathleen Capshaw

Pati Cunningham said it well in the Stewardship reflection she shared several years ago:
 
“The act of pledging to the church is one of the most powerful we undertake as Christians. When we pledge, we let go of what we might momentarily consider ‘ours’. We let go of measures that might separate us from one another, and instead, we affirm through our giving that we are part of something much larger than ourselves; that we are all members of the Body of Christ, inextricably linked in our compassion and love, joined as a family through the common experiences of struggle and joy, and nurtured through the corporal practice of common prayer.”
 
When I reflect on this year’s stewardship theme, “Growing in Grace” I think about God's inexhaustible and immeasurable love for us ... in spite of the fact that we will fall and we will fail again...  and the forgiveness that we have already received.  To open Emmanuel's doors is to know the unconditional love and healing of this message. You are broken and you are enough. By sustaining Emmanuel with our gifts.... and supporting all that we do within the walls and outside of the walls.... we have the opportunity to share this prayer, this message, with others.

Within the Emmanuel community, I have formed some of the most meaningful and impactful relationships and friendships in my life. People I can turn to in times of joy and in times of struggle. People who can laugh and cry with me. We can talk about the hard things in the context of our faith. That is our communal life together and it is the beauty of the commitment we make to each other as a Church.
 
When Leigh and I pledge to Emmanuel, we are expressing our love and gratitude to the living body that is our church. It has a heart and it breathes. We are feeding it and holding it close to us and nurturing it so that it may continue to thrive and grow and wrap Its arms around others. So that the gifts that we receive can be shared.