A Letter from The Very Reverend Tyler Doherty, Dean and Rector

Dear Siblings in Christ,

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I am writing to you at the start of our 2023-2024 stewardship campaign to ask that you prayerfully consider how you can generously support the work God is doing at St. Mark’s inside and outside the walls of our historic, growing, and vibrant Cathedral.

Our theme for this year’s campaign is–“A Place of Springs.” The lines come, of course, from Psalm 84 (a personal favorite) where we are gifted with this exquisite image of the sparrow making her nest on the altar of the Lord of Hosts. Such a touching image of the intimacy with God! Nested in the God who nests in and with us.

The Cathedral exists not for itself, but as an open door for people from every language, tribe, and nation to come and drink of the inexhaustible waters of unconditional belovedness and to share them with all those thirsty others outside its walls. We wake to the ever-present reality of these waters through daily prayer, weekly worship in common, dwelling on God’s word as revealed to us in scripture, being formed in the faith through teaching and preaching, and service to the least of these as boundary-crossing love. We are a diverse, ragtag family who, fed with God’s very body and blood, heed God’s call to go as a sent people as bread to feed, water to wash, oil to heal, and wine to slake the thirst of the parched.

And slowly, hiddenly, in often unremarkable ways, we are loved into loving others, that God’s Dream–rather than our human-created nightmare that is “too much with us,” as Wordsworth says–might be made incarnate. That justice and mercy might roll down. That the dignity of every human being might be celebrated. That peace might reign. That the good earth and its creatures, the mountains, rivers, trees, and air might be tended, healed, and nourished.

It costs $650,000 a year for the Cathedral to be a visible and tangible open door to the Place of Springs. In the past, the Cathedral, in the absence of full support by its members, has depended on the largesse of a few enormously generous donors. We give thanks for their generosity, while also acknowledging that this dependence was unhealthy, immature, and unsustainable. Each of us is called to prayerful reflection upon who is at the center of our lives (God, or my wants and desires?) and to portion our time, talents, and treasure in such a way that our living and giving match what we profess with our lips.

Existing only on the largesse of a few major donors–while seemingly pretty nice–actually robs us, individually and corporately, of the precious opportunity to reflect upon and order our lives in such a way that each and every aspect of life–including what we do with our wallets–is brought into harmony, wholeness, and healthy integration. That’s why stewardship, in addressing the thing we really don’t want to look at or talk about (money!), is such a transformational spiritual practice.

It is time for our congregation to finally support its budget–which includes operating expenses and pastoral care, outreach, evangelism, and mission programs in the community–through pledges. We have come a long way in this regard since I first arrived on that chilly Maundy Thursday in 2015 to wash feet. And over the next two years–with a 25% increase each year–we will achieve a level of pledging that makes us self-sustaining without having to draw from our investments.

A sustainable portion of the revenue from these investments–instead of having to be used to cover shortfalls in our budget–can then be used to grow our ministries to the last, the least, the lost, and the left behind in the city: the “Church Outside the Walls.” In short, instead of using our investment income on ourselves, we can pour it out on others in imitation of Our Lord Jesus Christ who pours Himself out for us. Pretty clear. Pretty simple. And entirely within our grasp.

As members of the Cathedral (the “Mother Church” of the diocese), I’d also like you to consider our role as examples for other Utah Episcopalians. As you may or may not know, 16 out of 23 congregations throughout the diocese have remained dependent on diocesan funding for the last 15 years. This has led to an unsustainable spending down of the Diocesan Trust and leaves the diocese facing a future where missions may have to close or be re-imagined.

By becoming self-sufficient and covering our budget on pledges, the Cathedral can show other congregations what a healthy and sustainable way of being church looks like. We give smaller, struggling congregations hope that not only can they survive, but thrive. In a very real way, our example at the Cathedral will impact whether or not the Episcopal Way of radical welcome and indiscriminate hospitality, of deep prayer, rootedness in Jesus, and passionate advocacy for justice, peace, and creation care remains a part of the social fabric of Utah. Please give and give generously in imitation of the one who gave his life for us.

Yours in the Poured-Out-for-Others Christ,

The Very Reverend Tyler B. Doherty, Dean & Rector

You can also read this letter in a printable format on letterhead.