The 2020 Stewardship Campaign will begin on Sunday, October 6 this year as we commission our Stewardship Leaders, our Ambassadors, and our Prayer Team during the 10 am service that day. Commitment Sunday – the annual celebration of submitting our pledge cards - will be Sunday, November 10 at all three services.
Our goal for the 2020 Stewardship Campaign is $500,000 with a hoped for 170 pledges which represents $2941 per pledge.
The 2020 Stewardship campaign includes $30,000 in maintenance costs for our parking lot resurfacing and new carpet for our Parish Hall and hall walkways. We are including these costs in our operating budget based on our last two years. In 2018 we replaced four furnaces and had one sewer line leak repair for a total expenditure of approximately $20,000. In 2019 we had two water leaks in a sewer line in the basement, and we replaced an air-conditioning unit for approximately $20,000. As we work with a 40-year-old building we are finding that yearly maintenance costs will be incurred.
We have an outstanding staff in place and to maintain that staff will require significant expenditure. In 2019 the costs for our staff salaries, benefits, and administration costs are approximately $378,000 or 77% of our total budget. To maintain a quality staff will require expenditures in this range for 2020.
As many of you know, we have a 10% mandatory pledge to the Episcopal Church in Colorado and a voluntary 5% pledge to the High Plains Region. In 2019 we are at 8% on our mandatory pledge to the Episcopal Church in Colorado and at ½% on our Regional Pledge. Currently 55 Churches in Colorado are at the mandatory pledge to the Episcopal Church in Colorado or 60% of the Colorado Episcopal Churches. In 2020 we need to move closer to the 10% mandatory pledge to the Episcopal Church in Colorado and increase our High Plains Regional Pledge.
Good Shepherd responded in an exceptional way in 2019 to maintain our staff in place and we anticipate the congregation and the parishioners will respond likewise for 2020.