Dear Friends,

St. Francis means many different things to everyone. Here is what it means to us.

It's the spirit. It's the one time during your busy week when you can rest your soul and contemplate without interruptions. It's the special feeling when you are in the chapel with the sun filtering in through those tall, slightly imperfect windows and you can smell smoke from over a hundred years of burning candles. It's how you feel when you are in the new church with that towering ceiling and the windows up so high that you feel like you can look right up to heaven. It's the sound of the choir and organ music lifting you up.

It's the clergy. Where else can you hear the sometimes humorous and often inspirational sermons of three people as different as Father Mayberry, Mother Molly or Pastor Mark and enjoy them all? It's amazing how many times their sermons seem like they are directed right at you. How many times have they counseled with you, performed marriages, helped you get through funerals, baptized children and grandchildren, and just been there on the other end of the phone?

It's the education. It's the scores of volunteers teaching our children about God and how we can all love one another. It's the understanding and knowledge we receive from visiting guests like Bishop Spong and leaders of other faiths. It's the Bible studies and book studies to help us understand where we fit into this world.

It's the outreach. We support many organizations in the Stamford area. We help families during the holidays with food and support. We organize “Midnight Run” trips into New York City to offer food and clothing to men and women living on the streets. Our children get to see and talk to homeless people and they are much the better for that.

We could go on and on. The reality is that St. Francis is all these things and more. It is a growing and vibrant parish of diverse and caring people offering many wonderful things to both its members and the surrounding community.

But, in order to continue as a vibrant and meaningful parish, we must also attend to the business of St. Francis. None of this would be possible without the commitment of our members to support the work of the church financially by pledging annually. We do not have an endowment providing funds for our operating budget or for emergency expenses. We are fortunate to have Canaan Ridge School , whose rent payments cover 30% of our annual costs. Our Fall Fair and other special gifts add another 6%. But it is the Stewardship Campaign –our annual operating pledges to St. Francis—that account for 64% of the monies needed for the total annual budget.

It is important to note that the Vestry –together with the Finance and Buildings & Grounds Committees– has made great strides in reducing expenses through negotiation of a favorable fuel oil contract, re-negotiating our mortgage at a lower rate, and instituting savings in a number of other areas. This is an on-going effort, involving continuing review of every line item in the budget.

Although decisions regarding the size of a pledge rest with the donor alone, the Wardens and Stewardship Committee ask that we each consider a thoughtful and prayerful pledge that is proportionate to one's resources.

As you contemplate your pledge, we ask that you think about the abundance of God's blessings in your life and what St. Francis means to you and your family, and then consider increasing your pledge to support the ministry that makes us glad to be a part of this special faith community in North Stamford .

Faithfully,

Brian & Terry Murphy