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STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN 2010 |
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 Some Thoughts from Ed Edelson about the Stewardship Campaign Jerry Ross and I have agreed to co-coordinate this year’s Stewardship Campaign. “The what campaign?”, you say. The Stewardship Campaign. Before I explain that, let’s step back a bit. When Jerry and I agreed to this, our first step was to assess our situation. We were doing this as part of a Finance Task Force established by the Board in late 2009. Our task was to look at all things financial that are either happening or should be happening at MUUS. At that time, Jerry prepared several typical budgets for next year to be presented at the Cottage Meetings. These identified some significant gaps between the services we expect and our commitment to pay for them. Finally, we were aware of the need for a second canvass last June and wanted to avoid that situation. Our conclusion was that we needed to make fundamental changes in the way we plan for MUUS’s financial wellbeing as well as to engage the Congregation in the determination and execution of that plan. We also wanted to get away from the idea that there is a one-time, one-year canvass to identify pledges or commitments to more of an ongoing stewardship of our financial wellbeing for the current and future years. Thus the language changes from a canvass (what are you going to pledge this year?) to a stewardship campaign (an ongoing exploration of what we hold dear and how we are willing to nurture and sustain it). “OK”, you say, “but what’s really going to be different?” First off, we want to engage the Congregation in the budget determination process – it is not the Board’s budget or the Canvass Committee’s budget. It is the Congregation’s budget. In other words, the budget comes first. And more to the point, it is a budget the congregation has agreed upon. (Eventually, we hope this will be a multi-year budget, but let’s take it one step at a time.) Only after there is a Congregational vote approving an initial budget, will members and friends be asked to make a pledge. For the presentation given at the January congregational meeting and a timeline for this process, click HERE. Questions? See Jerry or Ed for more information.
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