A Letter from Bob Lloyd, Senior Warden

Dear beloved community:

Worshipping at St. Mark’s has taught Carla and I several lessons, but none so improbable than what it means to give. I say improbable because we already thought we practiced giving.

We pledged, albeit cautiously. We volunteered for what we enjoyed doing. We were active on Sunday as lectors, ushers and occasional coffee hour hosts.

It was serviceable but safe.

In the past several years of worshipping with you, however, we have found ourselves more active, more involved and more generous than ever. And the odd and wonderful part of this comes back to what has been preached and realized in Christianity since the resurrection: the more we give, the more we get back.

When I was younger, I spent a lot of time around evangelical preachers. When they needed to raise money, they would admonish their audience with, “You can’t outgive God.” Despite questionable motives and results, the admonishment is true. New Testament theology teaches that in the Kingdom of God, what we give, we get back — much more than what we gave.

The return on our investment, so to speak, doesn’t necessarily mean if we give $10, we will get the exact amount back in some miraculous form. But once we began to live a life of generosity, we change. Our payback is not money but how fulfilling it is to be part of a special group, to be part of St. Mark’s.

And so we love it when we see a ministry blossom. We love it when we see families join and find their place among us. We love it when we see someone who has been away for a few weeks. It’s a wonderful and surprising feeling. But it is real, and satisfying.

As senior warden, I am asking that you join Carla and I on this journey of giving more than we once thought possible. Prayerfully consider your pledge this year. Your contributions make all ministries, coffee hours, salaries, repairs and music happen.

At St. Mark’s, we are still striving for our goal of completely funding the cathedral based on pledges without relying on our savings account to bail us out. This year, we will need about $650,000 to meet our budget.

Where does the money go? We pay for two full-time priests — the only parish in the diocese that has that many clergy. We support our ministry at the Point, including a salary for a part-time chaplain. We are one of a handful of parishes that give payment to the Diocese — this year it will be around $60,000. We are constantly repairing our historic structure, which is quite expensive. We put money aside for our music program, which means a choir director, section leaders and special instrumentalists for Christmas and Easter.

Pledges help us plan. Even if you think your pledge is small, that’s fine. Let that be just a mile marker along the path of generosity. The most important action you can take is to pray for direction in making what contribution you are able.

Thank you for your gift, your pledge. Thank you for being part of a congregation that finds our time together meaningful and deep.

And thank you for joining us in worshipping our Risen Savior. Carla and I look forward to many more Sundays together.

Sincerely,

Bob Lloyd

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