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The challenge for Stewardship. Please prayerfully consider what you are able to give for year 2021.
Thank You Pastor Martha Dominy – Pastor’s Appreciation Day, October 11, 2020.
November, 2017
Dear Church Members and Friends,
On behalf of the Finance Trustees, I am writing you to ask that you consider pledging financial support to the first Baptist Church in the coming year.
We enjoy the rich ministry of Pastor Martha, and we love our beautiful house of worship. We are a faithful and generous mission-minded congregation, and we are grateful to be able to share space with other ministries.
We had a financially challenging year in 2017. We said goodbye to our major tenant, ABCD child care, and we welcomed our new major tenant Triangle. We are grateful to begin a relationship with Triangle, but we currently face a gap in the rental income that the church has depended upon. Triangle is leasing only some of the space that was previously leased to ABCD.
In addition, we have had some unforeseen property repairs that we must address – the city-mandated installation of backflow valves on our water system ($25,000) and a new roof on the Parish House ($48,000) are among the largest.
We continue to depend upon endowment funds in order to meet our budget, but we cannot continue this practice. Please prayerfully consider your financial pledge to our church so that we are able to ensure that the ministry of First Baptist Malden continues.
Sincerely,
Lisa A. Jacobson
Moderator and Finance Trustee
p.s. A pledge card and return envelope are provided for your use. Pledges for 2018 will be dedicated during the worship service on Thanksgiving Sunday, November 19, 2017.
Past Stewardship Letters
November 8, 2016
Dear Members and Friends,
Within the next few weeks our church’s stewardship campaign will be well underway. We write to you today to invite you to participate in the campaign. A generous financial pledge and the giving of your time will be greatly appreciated for the support of the First Baptist Church of Malden. This campaign is the only income source that measures our commitment to our church and to each other.
You may choose to make a gift immediately, you may make weekly contributions, or you may make a pledge to be fulfilled by the end of the year on December 31, 2017. However you decide to give, you can rest assured that your gift – no matter the dollar amount will be used wisely and effectively. Thank you in advance for your contributions.
A dedication of all pledges for 2017 will be held during the 11:00 a.m. worship service on November 20.
Sincerely,
Charles Huddy
For the Finance Trustees
November, 2015
Dear Church Family Members,
The coming church year may turn out to be an unpredictable year for our finances and our budget. We are facing two problems that demand our attention. The first problem is the bankruptcy filing of Tri-CAP. Since ABCD has extended the lease to June of 2016 the income reduction should not take place until after the June 2016 date. We are actively seeking replacements and ideally, it should be a Head Start type of business. Having said that, we will explore all avenues that meet our needs.
The other problem concerns our bell tower. About twenty years ago, we experienced some concerns about the stones that appear to have vertical cracks in different places. The company installed steel bracing inside the tower walls and repointed some stone joints. They may also have taken out some stones and completely cleaned out the cavity and cemented the stones back in. In any case, new structural damage has been noted, and this demands our attention.
Therefore, we must prayerfully consider our tithes and monetary gifts.
Sincerely,
Charles Huddy
On behalf of the Finance Trustees
Dear Members and Friends,
We write you today to ask that you participate in our Stewardship Campaign by making as generous a financial pledge as you are able for the support of the First Baptist Church of Malden. It is through the pledges received from this Stewardship Campaign that we are able to budget and plan for the expenses and programs in the coming year. It is also through the pledges received that our Mission Board is able to designate funds to charitable organizations such as Bread of Life and Habitat for Humanity.
In addition to financial pledges, our Stewardship Campaign also provides an opportunity to reflect on other ways you can contribute and support our church. Donate your time through serving on a Board or Committee, if asked. These Boards and Committees are extremely important – they are responsible for the Christian Education Programs; they oversee our Church property; they set the investment strategy for our endowments; they distribute charitable funds to worthy organizations; and they guide us in the direction expressed in our mission statement.
Please pray on this matter and whatever amount and time you are able to contribute, we thank you.
Finance Trustees 2013
What do Stewardship and Thanksgiving have in common? A few hundred years ago, immigrants to this land from England, thankful for surviving their first year, with the help of the natives, held a feast. Today, we commemorate that feast with a holiday called Thanksgiving Day.
There is another tradition, if you will, that also has to do with thanksgiving and sharing, it has its root in the Bible and it’s celebrated by churches around the world, usually on a Sunday in the month of November. This celebration is called Stewardship Sunday. Now, you might ask, what do Stewardship Sunday and Thanksgiving have in common? The common denominator here is thankfulness for all that God has bestowed upon us. We show our thankfulness by the sharing of our bounty.
Our church is one of the places that we share with, for lights, heat and a place to worship free from persecution which cannot be had if we didn’t give back a portion from what has been given us. Charitable contributions, both monetary and your time are excellent examples of stewardship in action. So are the voices that emanate from our choir loft.
In addition to the other elements of stewardship, talents and money, the third is time. Our boards are always in need of committed members willing to give of their time to serve our Church. Prayerfully contemplate how you will share of your bounty.
On Behalf of the Finance Trustees,
Chuck Huddy
On Stewardship and Thanksgiving. Rejoice, give thanks and Sing! Yes, give thanks for our Pastor, staff, teachers, ministry, kids, youth, middle ages, seniors, choir, Sunday school, sanctuary, nursery, organ, Bibles, hymn books, Parish house, volunteers, etc…
Yes, there has been a recession, a downturn, lost jobs, reduced income, a major blip in our economy but REJOICE we are surviving and under God all things are possible. Yes, we will emerge from this doom and gloom period and we will still have all of the above. Thanks be to God and the faithful givers of time, energy, and financial support of the members and friends of First Baptist Church of Malden, Massachusetts – that friendly church in the square.
Our annual “Ingathering” is Sunday, November 22. Yes, let’s all “Gather In” our Sanctuary to donate pledges for our church support, food for our hungry neighbors and a commitment to better share our time, talent and resources with God in 2010.
Count your blessings instead of your crosses;
Count your gains instead of your losses.
Count your joys instead of your woes;
Count your friends instead of your foes.
Count your smiles instead of your tears;
Count your courage instead of your fears.
Count your full years instead of your lean;
Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.
Count your health instead of your wealth;
Count on God instead of yourself.
(Author unknown, Church bulletin Bit # 1, Baker Books, 1976)
Yours in Christ,
Mark Foxon
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