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A Letter from Father
Jambo, Rafikis:
As promised in my remarks at Mass last weekend, I am writing to thank you, let you know where we currently stand and ask that you continue to generously support our Parish and our Church in Western Washington.
As we continue to see signs that the pandemic is waning, we also find ourselves experiencing a “new normal” that includes managing a world with COVID-19, rather than living in one where the virus has been wiped out. Although this can be stressful, there are many things to be thankful for. We continue to worship in person and enjoy more opportunities to connect spiritually and socially with our community.
First, I am calling on families to support our Parish by honoring their annual stewardship commitments. Many parishes are finding that attendance and collections have been slow to rebound. St. John is no exception. Our 2021-2022 budget for collections is $762,000. It appears that we will experience a shortfall of up to $30,000 in collections by the end of June. Due to careful control of expenses, we believe that the Parish will still have the funds necessary to make principal payments on our loan from the Parish Revolving Fund. As inflation takes hold, however, it will be more difficult to reduce expenses.
Second, I am calling on families to generously support the Annual Catholic Appeal. We are in the middle of the 2022 Annual Catholic Appeal campaign (“ACA”). This year, our goal is $92,226. Asante Sana to the 100+ families who have donated over $74,000 (80%) so far. If you have not done so already, I invite you to join our parish community along with thousands of other Catholics across Western Washington to support the ACA to help fund the over 60 ministries and services offered by our regional church. Your gift, no matter the amount, will help us to continue the work of Jesus Christ and the mission of His church.
Once we reach our goal, all funds collected above that amount will come back to St. John to fund a project of our choice. In order to support our Parish, I have decided that the best use of any ACA surplus funds is to put them toward our operating budget. This is not a new way for the money to be used. When the pandemic first began in 2020, I elected to use our rebate toward the operating budget as well. With your help, we received $17,982 which made a big difference in covering our costs. Your support is two-fold; you are serving those in our region and helping St. John offset the decrease in collections received this year.
There are a couple of ways to give to the Annual Catholic Appeal: If you received this letter in the mail, fill out the enclosed pledge card and drop it in the collection basket or mail. Donate online at http://www.archseattle.org/GiveACA. It is quick, easy, and secure. If you have already sent in your response and this letter has crossed in the mail, Asante Sana for your support this year!
Asante Sana na Mungu awabarik (Thank you and God bless you),
-Fr. Crispin
