Dear St. Martin’s Family and Friends,
This year’s stewardship campaign, “Walk in Love,” calls us to remember that our greatest gift in community is how we come together in purpose and mission. When we walk in the same direction, we can achieve great things.
During this season we talk a lot about money and our budget. Yes, those things are important, but why? With your contributions, we are able to walk in love in the world. With your time and talent, we grow together as a community.
St. Martin’s offers many ways to walk together:
Environmental Care: We’re a national leader in climate action, having achieved net carbon neutrality in 2021. We continue to enhance climate resilience, by helping other parishes nationwide learn how to lower their carbon footprint. Through our Creation Care and Land-based Ministries, we’ve been rewilding a portion of a local almond ranch and we offer regular spirituality in nature gatherings. We steward our own grounds through the work of the Buildings and Grounds Committee.
Neighbor Support: We host STEAC and Davis Community Meals, which assist local individuals in need. Boy Scouts and several recovery groups also make a home here. Last year, in conjunction with the Social Justice and Outreach Committee, St. Martin’s donated $66,480 to various charities and individuals.
Worship: We provide two Sunday services—8am traditional and 10am contemporary—as well as several weekday opportunities. Services are made available online for those who cannot attend in person. Our worship is supported by a huge range of ministries including the nursery and Godly Play for our youngest members, as well as ushers, altar and flower guild, and our talented choir.
Community Building: We offer fun events like our recent soccer outing, potlucks and brunches, including at Easter and Pentecost. There are celebrations like Dia de los Muertos and Las Posadas, and fellowship opportunities like A Place at the Table small-group gatherings. Our caring ministries deliver worship materials, food, and prayer shawls to those in need.
Your support is vital. Our 2025 goal is 150 pledges totaling $550,000, a 15.5% increase from 2024. One way to reach that goal is for everyone to increase their pledge by 15.5%. Ambitious; we know! Some of us will be able to make that kind of increase, some won’t, and some might even be able to do more. Most importantly, if you haven’t pledged before, now is the time.
Unlike an immediate donation, a pledge is a commitment to contribute in the coming year. Before you fill out a pledge card, whether online or on paper, we encourage you to discuss these decisions with your family and discern how God is calling you to share your gifts this coming year. How do you feel God’s call to walk in love?
To make a pledge, fill out a pledge card (from a mailing or picked up at the church). You can return the pledge card by mail to 640 Hawthorn Lane, Davis CA 95616 or put it into the plate during Sunday services. Alternatively, you can email your pledge to stewardship@churchofstmartin.org. Please return your pledge by October 25 so that it can be included in the total at our Ingathering Blessing on Sunday, October 27.
If there is anything we can do to support you or if there are any questions we can answer, please do not hesitate to reach out. Thank you for your generosity and thoughtful consideration.
Walking with you in love,
Neil Willits, Senior Warden
On behalf of the Stewardship Committee
Stewardship Talks
Here you can find recordings of the stewardship presentations given during Sunday services.
FAQs
Unlike an immediate donation, a pledge is a commitment to contribute at a later date. At St. Martin’s, we have a pledge drive in the fall in which we ask all members of the parish if they would be willing to make a pledge, or commitment showing the amount they plan to contribute in the upcoming year.
A pledge is a promise to make a contribution at a later date, unless your circumstances change. An offering is a one-time donation, usually collected during a service. A tithe is a yearly donation of 10% of one’s wages.
We use these pledges to create a budget for the upcoming year.
Pledges are put into our general fund, which is used for everything from altar supplies, food for coffee hour, maintenance of the buildings and more.
Fill out a pledge card and turn it into the plate that is passed around during the service on Sunday. You will receive a pledge card in the mail. You can also find blank pledge cards on the welcome table outside the parish hall. Additionally, you can email your pledge to stewardship@churchofstmartin.org.
Please contact the office! If you’d like to change your pledge to a different amount, we can do that. If you will not be able to fulfill your pledge, we will make changes in our tracking system so that your pledge shows as fulfilled.
This information is highly restricted and confidential. It is shared only with the parish administrator, Director of Operations, the Treasurer, and the Rector, and used only as needed.
We recommend using the proportional giving model, which you can see here. It offers several different giving options, all measured in weekly giving amounts. You can use the chart below to estimate your total giving. We’ve also done a basic budget estimate and if all else remains the same (i.e., no new pledgers, but we’re hoping those of you who have never pledged before will do so), in order to have a balanced budget pledges need to go up by 15%.
Fill out a pledge card which you received in the mail or at church. Then you can either return the pledge card by mail to 640 Hawthorn Lane, Davis CA 95616 or put it into the plate during Sunday services. We have extra blank pledge cards on the table in the parish hall. You can also simply send the information requested on the pledge card by email to stewardship@churchofstmartin.org.
Please contact the office! If you need to change your pledge to a different amount, we can do that. If you will not be able to fulfill your pledge, you can let us know at any time that you will need to change your pledge amount.
This information is highly restricted and confidential. It is shared only with the parish administrator, Director of Operations, the Treasurer, and the Rector, and used only as needed.
We recommend using the proportional giving model, which you can see on the next page. It offers several different giving options, all measured in monthly giving amounts. You can use the chart below to estimate your total giving. We’ve also done a basic budget estimate and if we have no new pledges and all else remains the same, pledges need to go up by 15.5% in order for us to have a balanced budget for 2025.
You can give on our website and even set up a recurring payment but clicking the blue GIVE button. This connects you to our secure giving portal through Tithe.ly. You can also give by contacting your bank and setting up a payment. You should only need our contact information:
640 Hawthorn Lane
Davis, CA 95618
530-756-0444
Tithe.ly is a payment portal that is networked with St. Martin’s pledge recording system. Tithe.ly charges St. Martin’s a small fee to process transactions, though they do offer donors a choice to cover the transaction fees if you so choose.
Some additional offerings are collected at specific times of the year, such as Easter and Christmas. These are given as a donation to non-profit organizations which are selected by a committee. Sometimes, other donations are requested for specific projects such as disaster relief, the recent fence building project at Dixon Family Services, and the stained-glass window restoration. These donations are separate from pledges.
Yes. Donations to St. Martin’s are tax deductible. Our Tax ID number is: 94-2277174. You will receive a tax-deductible donation statement from St. Martin’s in January via email (or mail if we do not have your email address).
Please contact us at info@churchofstmartin.org or call us at 530-756-0444.
