Minister’s Blog

Dear Ones,

It’s that time again – Stewardship Season! Every year in March, the Unitarian Church of Sharon embarks on a grand adventure together, once again committing our hard-earned money towards supporting another year of congregational life. Our annual operating budget is almost entirely funded by us, the members and friends of this community. And so our Stewardship Committee sends out letters and emails to everyone, asking for your pledge. People get up to the pulpit to talk about why they give generously to UCS. And each year I try to create a meaningful worship experience out of the topic, including by delivering the message that I fondly call, “The Sermon on the Amount,” which joke I refuse to ever stop making, even though it is way beyond stale at this point.

For those who are new to the process, or who perhaps lost track of the details, here’s how it works. Each spring, we start asking everyone how much we can pledge for the following year. (Our “years” run from July 1 to June 30 around here.) We have to pass a budget by a vote of our members at our Annual Meeting in June. In order for our Finance Committee to be able to put together a budget for the members to vote on at that meeting, we need to know roughly how much income we can expect. Hence – we get cracking on the pledge drive around now. The vast majority of our expenses go towards staff salaries. And – as I already said – the vast majority of our income comes from pledge contributions. So basically, this place runs on people, which is to say, it runs on connections, relationships, and love. I’m honored to be a part of this holy equation.

I also wanted to talk about the upcoming closure of the state-supported shelter where our immigrant neighbors have been staying in town. The final date is fast approaching (4/30), but I am hearing about people being required to leave sooner than that, too. Several volunteers from our congregation have been working hard to help these folks find housing. We have had UCS members step up to co-sign leases. And more people have started to come forward to offer what they can. If you think you might be able to be a cosigner or if you have space to take a family in – perhaps you have a unit to rent or even temporary space in your home while the permanent housing search continues – please be in touch with me. And thank you.

Yours in faith,
Rev. Jolie