Stewardship: (noun) An ethic that embodies the careful planning and management of resources considered worth caring for and preserving.

What would you do if our beloved Church did not exist? Where would you find folks who cared about the migrant workers who support our dairy farmers, who care about the refugees who come to Vermont to start a new life, who work hard to save our environment? Responsible stewardship helps to bring all these loving, caring people together— in service of something greater than ourselves.

Our community runs on a combination of everyone’s time and monetary contributions. We still have to have some focused time each year (usually in March) where we ask for, discuss, and honor the monetary contributions that keep our facility, staff, and membership with the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) possible. This pledge drive is the only time of the year when we talk significantly more about money than other things, because we need to make sure our financial house is in order, so that we can continue to do more with and for our members and the community.

We could not survive without the generous donations of our members’ and friends’ time and talents. If you are eager to know more about our volunteer opportunities, committees, and other areas where your energy is needed, please check out the “Serve & Act” and “Connect” drop areas of the main menu.

What is the Annual Pledge Drive?

The Annual Budget Drive is your opportunity to participate in the holy practices of stewardship and generosity, in order to provide a foundation for the Unitarian Church of Montpelier to exist in community and enact our mission in our world. It’s during this time each year that we reach out to you, our loving community, to Pledge a financial commitment for our next fiscal year. Pledges in particular allow us to plan for our budget each year, and are the foundation of our programs’ stability and development.

The Unitarian Church of Montpelier is financially autonomous. We have no diocese or umbrella organization to support us if we fail to meet our annual operating budget needs.

We pledge in order to ensure our Board, Executive Team, Minister, and Finance Committee will be able to confidently and responsibly plan for our Annual Budget. Our pledge totals are entered directly into the input side so we can plan for the output side – our beautiful facilities, amazing staff, and wonderful programs. While we gratefully receive all gifts, it’s the pledges we count on and use for our budgetary planning purposes. Pledgers are our foundation.

To learn more about this year’s Annual Pledge Drive “Renew Nurture Grow” click here.

To make a pledge click here and THANK YOU for your generosity!