Sowing Seeds Capital Campaign Concludes

At the beginning of the year, the parish received an invitation to contribute to the Sowing Seeds Capital Campaign in the Biblical spirit of bounty, “The one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” (2 Corinthians (9:6) If ever there was a snapshot of bounty, it would be each of you, and collectively the St. Michael’s community! You gave generously, sacrificially, and some of you, more than once. Our goal was $65,000. To date, we have commitments totaling $143,994, and participation from a majority of our households. Thank you for making such a profound and faithful commitment to God and this community.

The Vestry and I are humbled, and have begun the process of thoughtfully stewarding these resources. Our first priority is to repay the $100,000 loan we borrowed from the Diocesan Missionary Society, prior to launching the campaign, as the roofs were falling in and we needed to act quickly. We have an aggressive repayment plan, with intentions to repay the loan in full prior to the balloon payment in 2026. Our second priority is to complete a few, small remaining projects, and seed the Major Maintenance Fund, which makes allowances for the upkeep of aging buildings. The Vestry has also made a commitment to take the next five years to make an annual contribution to this fund in our Mission Spend Plan (budget). Contingency funding is often the first thing to go when a budget is lean. Long term, this only creates more problems. We will slowly and methodically build up these funds to ensure our buildings continue to be well cared for.

Finally, we will make a substantial contribution to the St. Michael’s Endowment Fund. We borrowed $130,000 from the corpus of the Endowment to complete the renovations. This is exactly what these funds were intended to do, and we are grateful we were able to rely on the generosity of those who have gone before us. The endowment both supports our annual Mission Spend Plan, and provides a firm financial foundation for the future. The Vestry is committed to maintaining these funds, and hopes you might consider doing the same. (Please see the note below from the St. Michael’s Endowment Board.)

St. Michael’s, it’s been a crazy few years in our lives, our community, and the world. There are many ways in which I am in awe of you. More than doubling our goal and rate of participation for a capital campaign is near the top of the list. Thank you, thank you, thank you!