Help Close the Budget Gap
Dear people of Trinity,
A friend of mine recently returned from a funeral in New Orleans, where her sister’s life was celebrated with a memorial service at her church, followed by a Second Line weaving its way through the church neighborhood. If you’re not familiar with this tradition, a Second Line is the part of a parade in which funeral or wedding guests or general revelers follow along behind the First Line—the casket or marrying couple or grand marshal—and everyone dances and sings and raucously carries on. In NOLO, a parade just isn’t complete without that all-important Second Line.
This past fall, Trinity’s Annual Giving campaign raised $647,205 in pledges from 193 households; consider that the “First Line” of our 2022 Budget parade. In the weeks and months since then, the vestry, with input and guidance from all of Trinity’s ministry areas, the finance committee, the treasurer, and the business manager, worked tirelessly to develop a realistic and fiscally conservative budget for the coming year that reflects our commitment to excellent worship, music, educational programs for all ages, keeping our buildings well and properly maintained, and funding for justice and outreach.
But even with all those good efforts, there is a gap between pledges and other expected income for 2022, and Trinity’s expenses. That budget gap, as Michael Dean reported at the Annual Meeting this past Sunday, is about $27,572. To close the gap, the Vestry made the decision to initiate a Second Ask campaign. . . the “Second Line” in our path to a balanced budget.
I’m delighted to let you know that we are already well on our way to achieving our goal! The Vestry leadership and staff clergy have all committed to participating, and some people have already turned in Second Ask pledge cards, which were made available at the Annual Meeting. As of February 24, we have received Second Ask pledges totaling just shy of $13,000.
I hope you’ll consider joining this Second Ask effort. If you’ve already made a pledge for 2022, I invite you to consider whether you can extend yourself just a little bit more and increase your pledge amount by 1% or 5% or 10%. Or perhaps you can make a one-time gift of a particular dollar amount? Any amount —EVERY amount—makes a difference, and with all of us on this path together, we’ll soon be singing and dancing and celebrating raucously about something Trinity hasn’t been able to do in a while....achieving a balanced budget.
With faith and confidence, (. . . and raucous celebration)
Elizabeth+
The Rev. Elizabeth Molitors, Rector
