Since we are only one week out from the Reverse Raffle, I decided to begin my comments by making one final plea to those who have yet to purchase a ticket. I know that $100 is not a “drop in the bucket” and I know that many of our seasonal parishioners have left town. I also know from previous years that we can get this done and make this event a success. There is nothing I dislike more than begging and badgering our parishioners, however, at this point I see no other option. As previously mentioned, this is a great deal for $100 whether or not you win the Grand Prize or a portion of the $10,000.00. The true benefit is that you enjoy a great night out while assisting your parish in reaching its Catholic Faith Appeal goal for 2013. I can think of no better win-win situation. Please remember that you need not be present to win. Just last year, one of our parishioners won $1,666.66 while relaxing in the comfort of his home. We will have a representative outside of all Masses this weekend selling tickets. As of last Wednesday, we had 100 tickets remaining. We must sell all 300 for the event to take place. Please consider making a sacrifice and purchasing your ticket for the Reverse Raffle. Thank you in advance for your consideration.
We are currently in the process of replacing the very dated carpet in the classrooms and hallway in the Parish Life Center. Rather than using typical rolls of carpet, we are experimenting with carpet tiles. The advantages of using carpet tiles are many. First and foremost, when the carpet is permanently damaged by a stain or tear, the tile(s) may simply be removed and replaced, affecting only the damaged area. Secondly, the carpet tiles are much less expensive than traditional carpet and may be installed by our maintenance staff, thereby eliminating the labor cost of installation. Finally, the new carpet tiles really look great. We hope you will agree once installation is completed.
The lighting renovation in the church is finally complete. All of the lighting is now installed and operable remotely from our iPad. This project, which began in November, has been a great learning experience to say the least. We ultimately had to retrofit all of the old lighting in order to have it compatible with the new wireless system. I truly believe the finished product is magnificent. The new fixtures are a breath of fresh air in the church and the amount of new light available is amazing. Thank you for your patience while we endured months of changes to the old system.
For those of you who know me personally, you may understand my somewhat odd sense of humor. Those who read my weekly column but have yet to meet me certainly do not. On Easter Sunday, I wrote:
“It is true that a handful of our visitors have departed; however, there are many seasonal residents and visitors remaining in town as well as those that satisfy their annual requirement for Mass by attending only on Easter Sunday.”
This was simply my attempt at humor recognizing that many of those who attend Mass on Easter will only be seen at Mass once per year. While I wish this statement was not factual, the reality is that many only attend Mass on Easter Sunday and others that will include Christmas on their list. I actually received several calls and a few emails regarding my comments. Some were questioning my understanding of Catholicism while a couple of others were intrigued by this new development in the church requiring attendance only on Easter. Obviously my dry sense of humor was not as well received as I had hoped. FYI, weekly Sunday Mass is still obligatory for all Catholics.
Have you filed your Federal Income Tax return? As a reminder, Monday is April 15 and your return (or extension) must be postmarked by this date in order to prevent a penalty by the IRS.
Do we have your email address? If not, you missed some great information in the past few weeks. Tom Oram (Pastoral Musician and Liturgist) composed some great pieces regarding our new Pope and another for Holy Week which was sent to over 1,300 in our database. We are still receiving some “bounces” (91 to be exact) while sending email blasts which means that we have old or incorrect addresses for 91 of you. If you are not receiving emails from the parish and would like to, please submit your email address to me at [email protected] and I will gladly add you to our database.
Have you considered using “Pledge Connect” to make your weekly, monthly or annual offertory contributions? Pledge Connect is our electronic vendor which processes credit cards and electronic bank drafts. Pledge Connect is the same vendor used by the Diocese of Venice. You may access Pledge Connect through our website by clicking on “ways to give.” This is a great opportunity for those of you wishing to earn miles or points through your credit card. It is also a great opportunity to setup recurring transactions so that you may never have to worry about writing a check for Mass each Sunday. While you are away for the summer, you may also choose to continue contributing to St. John the Evangelist via credit card through recurring contributions. In addition to regular offertory, you may electronically contribute to a plethora of other entities, including Habitat for Humanity, Jamaica Outreach and St. Vincent de Paul. You may even purchase your plot in the memorial garden via credit card. Some of you chose to purchase your reverse raffle ticket through credit card as well. For those who like to place an envelope in the basket weekly during Mass, you may simply write “gave via credit card” on your envelope and drop it in the basket as usual. The Pledge Connect website is very secure and encrypted so that none of your credit card information will be compromised. Please take a minute and check it out. Giving electronically could make your life much easier.
In His work together,
Scott Schlossberg, MBA
General Manager