ST. ALBAN'S ANNUAL GIVING 2026

“All things come of Thee, O Lord, and of Thine own have we given Thee.”   - 1 Chronicles 29:14
 

Dear St. Alban’s Family,

We’ve both been around this place a while…long enough to have learned the words above by heart. When the offering plate gets passed and then brought up to the altar, these words remind us that every good thing we share was in fact received from God to begin with, as are all the other blessings we can count.

The two of us have been friends for over 25 years and have been part of this church for a combined 55 years. We have watched with joy and gratitude as God has continued to bless our parish with faithful and generous people. Now, more than ever before, we feel encouraged and excited about both the present and the future of St. Alban’s. From the fullness of the nave on Sunday mornings, the donation bins overflowing with groceries for local families in need, the abundant harvest of the SEEDS garden beds, and the tremendous response to our weekly yoga class in the new Parish Hall—everywhere we look, we see the Holy Spirit at work within the St. Alban’s community.

And that’s why, as we invite you to make a financial pledge to this community for the coming year, we do so grounded in a renewed sense of who we are and who God is calling us to be. Our brand new mission statement says that our calling is to:

Gather to Worship   •   Scatter to Serve   •   Love like Jesus

Next year, we hope St. Alban’s will be able to live into this mission in an even deeper way. Your financial commitment will allow the vestry and staff to budget for the following priorities which are rooted in our shared mission:

• Gather to Worship ~ In 2026, we will have the exciting challenge of exploring new worship opportunities as a means of managing the growth we are already seeing and helping even more people find a joyful and prayerful church home here in this special community.

• Scatter to Serve ~ In 2026, it is our profound hope that we can increase our Outreach budget and get closer to reaching our longtime goal of having Outreach-related spending account for 10 percent of our overall annual budget. This is considered a best practice in church budgeting, but more importantly, it is the Biblical standard of generosity.

• Love like Jesus ~ In 2026, it is essential that we continue to be a beacon of welcome and compassion in this world. In order to do this, we need to invest in some of the older parts of our facilities, while also continuing to expand the uses of our new Parish Hall. And a big part of our success will depend on having the ability to retain our exceptionally talented and beloved staff. Collectively, their ministry touches all of us, and we need the resources to ensure they can stay and thrive here.

Over the next few weeks, we invite you to prayerfully consider your pledge of financial support for the year ahead. We ask that you make your 2026 pledge by November 17, 2025 in order to have your name included in our acknowledgement list that will be published on November 23, also known as Gratitude Sunday. You can turn in a pledge card by placing it in the Sunday offering plate, or mailing it to the church, or online via our secure Realm app.

With God’s guidance, and with your faithful response, we will keep on gathering to worship, scattering to serve, and loving like Jesus in all that we do.

Your 2026 Annual Giving Co-Chairs,

James Kennedy & Rhett Mabry