Over this past year, we have been blessed to receive wonderful gifts from our Parish Family. There has seemingly been no end to the generosity of our church, from then completion of our first goal for the Life Center, to the massive response of diapers immediately after Hurricane Irma, to our repair matching campaign, and even for the over 200 turkeys for Thanksgiving in the Park. We have always responded to the needs of our church and our community. Thank you for living out our mission with both your giving and your actions!
If you would like to provide additional stewardship for Saint John with your treasure, I would like to provide you with a few end-of-the-year options that will not only be tax deductible, but in some cases, supports our efforts without assessment from the Diocese:
- Capital Campaign: The Pulte Family Life Center is currently under construction and will be completed in 2018, providing our Parish Family and the larger community with a brand-new space and more importantly programs that will reach every interest and every age group. While we have reached our Core Goal, we have not yet reached our other goals. Your generosity for our Hurricane Repairs have been applied to the pay off the significant insurance deductibles for the church and the Parish Activity Center damage. We know we will have additional costs over and above what the insurance will cover for the repairs and renovations we are undergoing. These repairs will be ongoing for the next nine months, even though we had planned to execute this work over the next several years. The financial consideration of repairing the church and the rest of our campus is significant. If you choose to continue to support these repairs, your giving to the campaign is placed in a separate bank account, and will not be assessed by the Diocese. If you have not yet provided a pledge, I urge you to do so. If you have pledged, please consider accelerating your payments, since that will enable us to move forward quickly.
- Catholic Faith Appeal: The Catholic Faith Appeal is a Diocesan fundraising program which engages every parish to give to the Diocese to support Catholic Charities, the Seminarians, and many more programs. Even in the midst of the efforts we have undergone to repair our campus and the massive area-wide response to Hurricane Irma, we are still required to meet our annual assessment of $518,000. We are close, having nearly 90% of this goal met, but we have only a few weeks left to reach it. If you would like to make a donation that will make an impact in the region, I recommend giving to the CFA. Please visit the Diocese website: https://dioceseofvenice.weshareonline.org/2017CatholicFaithAppeal to make a donation or call our office and we can assist you.
- Christmas Gift for Our Parish Family: We have an easy way for you to give specifically to Saint John the Evangelist during this Christmas Season. Please go to: https://stjohntheevangelist.weshareonline.org/Christmas and you can set up a one-time donation, or establish annual giving for the holidays. This gift will assist us in our daily focus on the Mission of our Parish Family: To Know, To Love, and To Serve God in His Church and Our Community.