Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Stanislaus County

Pledging

[We know that most first-time visitors are not going to ask how to become a member, nor will they wonder about pledging. We don't have an FAQ page for sixteenth-time visitors. This seemed to be a reasonable, but not perfect, place to put these two pages.]

Most Unitarian Universalists would rather talk about their sex lives than their incomes. Money is always a delicate subject, on any church web site. The canvas committee, which asks people for their pledge every year, is the least popular committee we have. Nevertheless, we need money to keep our church going. We pay our minister, administrator, Director of Religious Education, groundskeeper, child care providers, pianist, and janatorial service. We use (and pay for) electricity, gas, garbage collection and a post office box. We have other expenses, and we like to keep a little in reserve for the next emergency.

A pledge is a promise, no more, no less; a promise of how much you will give to your fellowship in the next year. Pledges make up about 80% of our income. We need to know how much income we will have to make an accurate budget. What we can do depends on how much we have; meals for the homeless, guest musicians, Sunday School field trips, newspaper ads, banners for community events, booth rental for community events, all cost money. A strong budget means a stong presence in the community.

Our budget was about $169,000 for the 2009-2010 church year. We have no financial secrets. If you are curious, there should be a copy of our current budget on a bulletin board in the back of the sanctuary, and if there isn't, a member of the board of trustees can get you a copy.

Our minister earns less than many people with a master's degree earn. She doesn't have a $20,000 air-conditioned dog house, and she doesn't get $100 haircuts. When she was a Peace Corps Volunteer, she lived in a mud hut; she is used to frugality.
(It was a well-build mud hut, akin to a small adobe house, but it was a hut, and it was built of mud.)

We'd like you to consider pledging a percentage of your income. People who do find they feel better about themselves; they know they are practicing generosity, one of the virtues in all of the major religions.

Read a sermon, It's Basic, about "Social Justice Tithing" and the transformative power of generosity.

This is worth repeating: We've never refused membership to anyone based on their income, but we have had people who have remained "Friends" for years instead of joining, because they could not afford to pledge. We pay about $100 a year in dues to our district and national organizations for each member or member couple. If you can't afford to pledge that much, your membership will be a net financial loss to our fellowship.

There are many ways to contribute to a church; if you can't afford to become a member, but still attend regularly, and participate - sing in the choir, help the Buildings and Grounds Committee on work days, bring home-baked banana bread for the Sunday School snack ... - we'll be happy to see you.