The Pledge

Our family has been a member of Trinity Episcopal Church since 1993, when we moved to Solebury, Pennsylvania.

 The Church is a building, a cemetery, and grounds. It has both Clergy and professional staff, provides services and programs, including an exceptional music program and, in our case, a day school, and it has a community of members. It also supports and funds a number of nonprofits that provide essential services and helps support the Bishop and the Diocese, of which it is a member.

All of this is funded annually by the parish community, both current and past members, through an endowment draw when necessary. The parish funds itself through a weekly plate collection and a financial pledge of support, paid throughout the year.

In our tradition, we don’t send an invoice. We ask membership, after thoughtful consideration, to make an annual financial pledge of support. In addition, members pledge time and talent by volunteering their services across a wide range of needs and missions.

It is the act of pledging that I want to comment on.  First, it is an individual decision. Second, it is a statement of faith in your church and the role of the church in your life. Third, it is an investment of membership in a community that supports each other and, in time, will support you.

How many times have I received a call and been asked to help? How many times have I made a call and asked for help? In a world grown increasingly divided, membership in a faith community that welcomes all people, supports all people, and meets you where you are is an investment well worth making. That investment takes the form of your time, your talent, and your treasure. The pledge is a commitment of support, of belief, of a higher calling, and the certainty that a higher power is at work in the world.

The pledge is one act of answering the call. The same call that God made to Moses from the burning bush. Whatever your tradition, answering matters.