First Parish Church in Dorchester
Unitarian Universalist

Annual Pledge Drive

For the 2011-2012 church year

The annual pledge drive is one of the most important things we do as a church all year. We are completely self sustaining as a church and are responsible for 100% of our operating expenses. Early this month, a member of the congregation will be visiting with you to ask you to make your financial commitment to First Parish. Also, during the Sunday, April 3 Worship Service, some members will share their thoughts about why and how they make a financial commitment to the church every year. Some of those shares will be published on this web page.

Thank you,
Julie Simmons and T.J. Griffin
Pledge Drive Co-Chairs

Pledge Form
Pledge Ranges
(PDF Files)

Member shares
Precious by Julie Simmons
A Meaningful Place by Jim Rodenmacher
Cherished Memories by Jane Lindsay
What We Were Searching For by T.J. Grffin

PRECIOUS

There are many reasons to make a financial promise to the church, but I thought I'd tell you why I pledge.

For the last 3 years, my partner Mary was ill with GBM, a lethal form of brain cancer, and while many members of the church knew that it was a challenging time for my family, I had no idea of the level of caring. When she passed away last Fall, I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the Church family. Over 25 people came to the wake of a woman only 2 or 3 had ever seen. That loving support in a time of unspeakable spiritual pain can never be repaid. It remains to this day so precious to me.

During those 3 tough years, the time I spent at the church service was the one time during the week when my life was almost normal for an hour or so. I was able to be still and quiet and to know that God and a second caregiver were taking care of any need Mary may have until I returned home. That special time of respite was so precious.

Many people feel that the primary reason they cherish the church is the fellowship. In addition to the worship service, they come to see their friends, have a cup of coffee, catch up, and feel that they matter...and that they are missed when they are absent.

My reason for pledging is so the work of the church will go on. We will have adequate funds to continue to offer the love and support that feeds the souls of people who need it desperately, and those who may in the future.

The levels of financial commitment for some parishioners will appear in the Up-Look in the next month - under categories of precious metals. Your promise of financial commitment is indeed precious to us.

The pewter level pledge of support is $501-$1000, while the bronze level is $1001-1500. The silver level is $1501-$2000, while gold is $2001-$3000, platinum is $3001-$5000, and the titanium pledge is $5001+. 

When deciding to make your pledge to continue the work of the church, it may help to know that the cost is approximately $29/week per member. I urge you to join with us and promise, pledge, and commit to the wonderful Religious Education, Worship experience, Music, and the Fellowship that make First Parish Church so special to you, and to me. 

—Julie Simmons

(back to top)

A MEANINGFUL PLACE

I was asked to say a few words about why I came to First Parish and what it means to me. It has been 20-something years that I have been attending church here. I started after several years of church shopping, not really knowing what it was I was looking for, but sure of what I was not. After several years, I joined officially. In over 20 years, I can say that I have made good friends here. For me, First Parish is the place for nurturing those relationships in community with others who seek a place to worship as they choose, just as I did.

It was only a few years ago, just before Christmas when I was ill, hospitalized and then out of work recuperating for a couple of months, and away from church as well. I recall the many cards, calls, visits, baskets and bouquets from friends here. That time made me realize how extensive my extended family truly is. To me, this place is a place where we are a family.

In my time here which is relatively short compared to some others sitting before me, I have shared in the loss of many cherished church members. Many of you have also shared in our grief, Douglas and mine, when both of his parents, and more recently, his brother-in-law, died. For me, for us, this church is a place of comfort and support.

I have experienced 7 ministers to date in the pulpit, and seen many changes occur here in the character of our worship service as well as in the diversity of our membership. Our Religious Education program is the largest I have seen here. These are all signs of change, and they are usually for the better. This church is a place of change and growth to me. As I say that, I am reminded that we just last week celebrated our 381st anniversary. To me, First Parish Church in Dorchester represents constancy.

So I stand here this morning to explain what this church, and you, mean to me. The reasons I have already offered are also the reasons that I provide my financial support to First Parish. As we look around at this worn and weary building, including the stage behind me—long may she remain!!—we are acutely aware of the costs of maintenance, both deferred and emergency, that challenge our finances on a regular basis. Knowing the details as I do from having served on the Finance Committee for so many years, I make sure to give both my money and my time. To me, this church is the place where we come to work together to continue the legacy begun almost 400 years ago.

As we approach the end of our 381st year together, well aware of the challenges and the opportunities before us, we should look to the future, as I do, with enthusiasm—certain of the greatness that this church represents. For me, First Parish Church in Dorchester is a place of hope and expectation.

—Jim Rodenmacher

(back to top)

CHERISHED MEMORIES

I’m a very literal person, so when TJ Griffin asked me to consider talking to the congregation about my pledge – I thought, what is there to say that could possibly be of interest to the congregation about my pledge? I think about it as if it’s a utility bill…it is set, almost automatically, by me every year, and it gets paid – not always on a timely basis but always before the close of the fiscal year.

But then I started to think some more about my relationship to my pledge – and I realized that when my household became a one-income rather than two-income household, I did my best to continue at the earlier level that we had maintained as a family for years. When I changed jobs and underwent a pay cut two years later, I did my best to continue at the earlier level. When I started paying college tuition for my daughter two years later I did my best to continue at the earlier level.

So through my 16 years here and a lot of ministerial, church and family changes I’ve kept to my earlier level – because throughout the years what doesn’t change is my commitment to a church community that gives back in moments that are priceless – which I appreciate all the more because I truly believe you get back what you give.

What brought me here was our interest in a family as a church community so I’ll pass along a few memories of my daughter here that I consider priceless. The first would be the first time I saw her skip down the aisle of the sanctuary, since she was in such a hurry to get to Sunday school. Those of you who know my daughter know that she is not by nature a skipper!

The next memory occurred during a very contentious and noisy corporate meeting in the sanctuary. I went upstairs to check on the children, who as a teenager, she was looking after. And when I saw the crook of her neck bent over the crib of one of her charges, in a really caring way, I thought to myself “this is my church” – not that crazy noise that’s going on at the moment downstairs. It grounded me in a profound way that allowed me to see the power of church relationships.

And the last memory would be more recently when she asked me what she needed to do to become a member of First Parish Church! =)

—Jane Lindsay

(back to top)

WHAT WE WERE SEARCHING FOR

It was the birth of our daughter Fiona four-and-a-half years ago that first spurred Teresa and me to look for a house of worship in our community. We were looking for a place for our daughter but we were also looking for a place for ourselves. We had both grown up Catholic but hadn’t attended Mass in many years and didn’t feel that the Catholic religion was consistent with our beliefs or spoke to our needs. I did a little research and liked what I read about Unitarian Universalism. I’ve always resented being told what to do - just ask my parents - and a non-creedal religion appealed to me. And it has continued to appeal to me. A religion that doesn’t tell me how to think or what to believe, a religion that respects and yet challenges my own beliefs, and nurtures and encourages my spiritual nature - this is what I, what we, had been searching for.

Thanks to the power of the internet, I found First Parish Dorchester. I remember when we first visited. We were a little nervous, with our newborn baby in a carriage, not sure what to expect or how we would be received. But, thanks to people like Doug Shaheen, Edward Baldwin von Brunow, Chris Montani, our minister Art Lavoie, and many others we felt welcome enough to come again for a second week, and a third, and so on until this church felt like our church. This is our spiritual home now, our house of worship. We belong here.

I still remember the pledge drive during our first spring here. We were somewhat taken aback by the open request for money. It was a little strange to us. Most of the Masses I attended in my youth were as a choir boy or as the church organist but when I was very young I sat in the congregation with my family. I remember the baskets with long handles that were wielded by the older men in suits. Everyone threw in some change or a dollar or two or five. My father would give me a dollar to throw in so I’d feel like a grown-up. Sometimes there would be a second collection for some charity or relief program. And that was it. No one talked about it, about giving, at least not in my family. It was just something you did.

But that first year here it was explained to me that First Parish is a self-sustaining church. Oh yeah, self-sustaining, we pay all our own bills, I get it. But I didn’t get it. There’s a difference between getting something up here and getting it on a gut level. I think it’s taken me until this year to fully grasp what being a self-sustaining church means. Of course, being the Chair of the Finance Committee this year has certainly helped with that.

We started to pledge three years ago. Prior to that I would put some cash in the plate at offertory time, if I remembered to bring some, which was not always. But we really wanted to pledge so we came up with an amount per week that we thought we could afford. Some weeks I’d forget to bring the pledge envelope and some weeks I’d forget to bring the money. And then there were the weeks when we didn’t come at all. Sometimes I’d make it up the next week, but there were some weeks when we’d been away for so long - the summer for example - that when we got back we owed so much that I couldn’t catch up.

This church year I started to treat our financial commitment to First Parish like I treat our other financial commitments - the mortgage, the phone bill, the electric bill. I started to write checks once a month. I’ve been able to stay on track with our pledges that way and I’m proud to say that we will fulfill one hundred percent of our financial commitment this year and maybe even exceed it a little. I found that by writing monthly checks this way, we didn’t miss the money as much as I thought we would. So we increased our pledge for next year by about fifty percent. Teresa and I feel good that we can help support the church because it is so important to us.

Today we kick off the annual pledge drive. We have already received pledges from a majority of the Boards of Trustees and the Finance Committee as well as some other corporate members. Very soon, if one hasn’t already, a volunteer steward will be contacting you to set an appointment to talk about your financial commitment to this church. If this church is as important to you as it is to me, then I know you’ll take this commitment seriously and give generously to support the church that is the spiritual home for all of us. Thank you.

—T.J. Griffin

(back to top)

Sundays are when we all come together as a church community.

Greeting each other.

Socializing and sharing a meal.

Spending time together.