Our 2024-2025 pledge drive began on March 10, 2024, and lasted for just one week.  This is quite different from the three-month pledge drive we have been accustomed to for years. 

Our one-week pledge drive began and end with special Sunday services (March 10 and 17), each followed by a celebratory lunch.  We also had some special prizes to encourage early pledging.  One lucky winner will be able to pick Amy’s new hair color.

Even though the official pledge drive is over, you can always pledge to contribute to the annual operating budget. Pledges can be made in one of three ways: mail in the pledge card you received via US mail; use the online form (tinyurl.com/42busxtt); or email pledge@uucpa.org with your name, your pledge amount for the year, and whether you would like to sign up for auto-renewal. 

Latest Stewardship News

Enriching our Community

At UUCPA we know how to create community. We do it every day in a hundred different ways.

We do it in our Saturday morning work group, who beautify and repair our lovely campus. We do it on Tuesday with our very active Brown Bag Book group, which keeps many of us in the know (and encourages us to read faster!). We do it on Thursday evening when the choir gathers to rehearse and share the joys of singing together.

We do it every Sunday morning when the tech crew sets up sound and video for our services and ensures that everyone in the Main Hall and everyone watching remotely can participate fully. Working right next to them are our ushers, who greet and welcome warmly all those who attend.

At UUCPA we also know how to enrich the communities beyond our church walls. Each year we join with other churches in hosting Hotel DeZink and Heart & Home for one month each to provide dinner and a place to sleep in our Main Hall, for unhoused people living in the area. During another month we host Heart and Home Shelter, providing meals and overnight space in the church, specifically for women. In the summer we.

We also host a blood donation “Olympics” event, in which our volunteers work with the Red Cross and turn our Main Hall into a blood donation space. We have highly motivated volunteers in our church who organize letter-writing campaigns directed at voters, as part of UU the Vote.

And a recent addition is our participation in the Church of the Larger Fellowship Prison Pen Pal Project. For all these wonderful outward-looking activities, we receive inspiration from our members and leadership from our Action Council.

At UUCPA we know how to create community because we have been a community for 75 years.

Our generous volunteers, ministers, and staff all contribute to creating and enriching the life of the church and the larger community beyond our walls.

This is where you come in.

Thank you for your pledge!

FAQ

How do I pledge? You can pledge to contribute to the annual operating budget in one of three ways: send in the enclosed card; use the online form (tinyurl.com/42busxtt); or email pledge@uucpa.org with your name, your pledge amount for the year, and whether you would like to sign up for auto renewal. 

I heard something about prizes . . . ? No matter how you pledge, your name will be entered into the prize drawings that will take place at the beginning, middle, and end of pledge week, March 10-17. So, pledge early for multiple chances to win!

Aren’t there usually visits at pledge time? We love having one-on-one conversations at least once a year. To keep the focus of visits on getting to know each other better and not about money, expect visits later in the year, driven by the Membership and Growth Committee.

Where does this fit in with the capital campaign? Last year, we kicked off the 75th Anniversary Capital Campaign to fund exciting improvements to our campus (see “Campus Vision Project” on uucpa.org). People are supporting the capital campaign through an additional pledge paid over three years, and we certainly welcome yours if you missed the chance! However, this letter’s focus is supporting our annual operating budget.

Tell me more about that operating budget. Here you go! As you can see from the graphs below, in the fiscal year that begins May 1, 2024, most of our projected income—an expected 70%—will come from our annual pledges. This figure and the 77% of the budget that pays for staff are typical of congregations. Our budget will be balanced, and we will be able to limit increases to inflation, which will raise expenses by 4.4% ($33k) over the present year. For much more detailed information before voting on the budget at the Annual Meeting on April 21, please attend the Budget Town Hall on April 7, and drop a line to finance@uucpa.org at any time.