On behalf of the clergy and staff of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and for those who are traveling over the holidays, a happy new year. Did you know that this Saturday will mark the 19th anniversary of the first Mass celebrated in our church? On December 24, 1992, the first Mass was celebrated in the (newly constructed) St. John the Evangelist church. For those who remember, that first Mass nearly never happened due to problems with Collier County in obtaining our certificate of occupancy. Thanks to the diligence of a few well connected parishioners, everything came together on the 11th hour – literally. We are thrilled to have you here with us this Christmas to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
Did you know that the day of the week that Christmas falls has a somewhat substantial financial impact on the church? This is true, so much so that we have to take this into account when creating the annual operating budget. When Christmas day falls on a Saturday as it did in 2010 or a Sunday as it does in 2011, the majority of our parishioners will only attend Mass on Christmas day. Actually, this year there really isn’t an option. In 2012, Christmas day falls on a Tuesday. Most of our parishioners will attend the Saturday vigil on December 22 or Sunday Mass on December 23 and then also attend Mass on Christmas day. This last happened in 2004 and 2005. When budgeting for the 2011-2012 annual budget, we accounted for $30,000.00 less in annual offertory collections due to this occurrence. For those who would like to help us offset this loss, there is an envelope in your packet for December 25 as well as an envelope for Christmas day. Thank you in advance for your consideration.
After the first of the year we are going to initiate another campaign to obtain your email addresses. We currently have over 1,000 of your addresses, however, there are several thousand more that we have not obtained. We are launching a new module internally which will allow us to email pertinent information to our parishioners. The system currently in place is not at all user-friendly and has been problematic at best. Please consider giving us your email address to be used to keep you abreast of what is going on in the parish. Other than announcements before Mass and the parish bulletin, we have very few other options to communicate with our parishioners. Your email address will not be shared and everyone will be BCC’d (blind carbon copied) when sending out bulk emails.
Did you notice that the roofs of all three buildings on campus are squeaky clean? In addition, all of the brick paver walkways have been pressure washed. It has been three years since we last pressure cleaned the roofs and they were looking very dingy. We waited until the rainy season and oppressive heat and humidity had passed before beginning this project.
We received several substantial Catholic Faith Appeal contributions this past week. We are making a strong push late in the game but need your help in order to continue our streak. We have only 10 days remaining in the annual appeal. Remember that stock donations may be made to the Diocese of Venice for the CFA by calling the development office at 941.484.9543. Many of you choose to make your annual gift at year’s end, whether it is in the form of stock or simply by check. As I have reiterated on numerous occasions, the CFA is the single most important component of our annual budget and by exceeding our goal, we relieve a lot of pressure with regards to operating “in the black” for the fiscal year. Thank you for your consideration in helping us exceed our goal.
The IRS requires you to use the Applicable Federal Rate in calculating the gift tax consequences on certain estate planning techniques. The AFR was 2.67 percent in November; this extremely low rate combined with marginal stock performance and dismal real estate values results in an enormous opportunity to freeze your estate at its current low value. In essence, it might be time to consider transferring all of the future appreciation to your children/grandchildren and yes, your favorite charities, if you so choose. This environment is ideal for the creation of Charitable Lead Trusts. A CLT allows you to gift assets into a trust at today’s low value. The initial or “lead” interest is paid out annually to a charity of your choice or St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church for either a predetermined number of years or for your lifetime. Ultimately, the assets of the CLT are passed on to your children, grandchildren or other loved ones while paying a fraction of the gift tax on the transferred dollars. All of the appreciation on the assets in the CLT transfers free of gift and estate tax. This will provide you with an effective income tax deduction on the amount passing to the charity. This is a win/win/lose transaction. The amount you currently give to charity can be funded via the CLT; the assets, along with the appreciation on the assets, will pass to your children and/or grandchildren; and the IRS will get a very short haircut on the transaction. This technique can pass millions of dollars tax-free to your favorite charities and your family. Time is of the essence, so please talk to your tax advisors before the rates escalate and the market rebounds.
Now that all of my financial comments are complete, I would to say THANK YOU to everyone that gave so generously this Christmas season. Whether it was a gift to the CFA, a donation to Jamaica or a contribution to the regular offertory, you defined the essence of Christmas. I am continually amazed every year at this time by the outpouring of generosity shown by our parishioners. It is truly remarkable what you do for others while ensuring that St. John is provided for. I am not a “cradle catholic” like many of you, however, I have visited my share of catholic churches, especially during the design stages of St. Agnes. As I have said many times before, there are countless parishes out there that could learn a thing or two by visiting St. John the Evangelist and simply observing. There just seems to be a spirit that exists here at St. John that does not exist at any other parish I have visited. Obviously the Holy Spirit is present at Mass; however, there is something more that exists within the friendly confines of St. John.
In His work together,
Scott Schlossberg,
MBA, General Manager