“Giving liberates the soul of the giver.” —Maya Angelou
In these difficult days I know there are many wonderful organizations and important causes asking for your support. We all need to discern what is ours to do; none of us can do everything, but each of us can do something. Our faith calls us to offer our gifts with generosity, creativity and hope, caring for the needs of our neighbors.
As you pray and think about your giving in the coming year, I commend our stewardship information (below) to you. It speaks joyfully about our life together and clearly about our financial needs as a parish, opportunities for spiritual growth (soul liberation) that supporting Ascension offers. For many of us, this congregation is an anchor and a sign of hope: a community of prayer and practice that nourishes us to be compassionate, brave and open-hearted in a world that needs these qualities sorely. As we worship, sing, learn and serve together, we grow as followers of Jesus. With God’s help we strive for justice and peace and respect the dignity of every human being. We are a sign of God’s love for the world, Christ’s kin-dom in our midst.
Much of our parish budget supports salaries, utilities and other unglamorous infrastructure of our common life. This in turn makes our programs possible; it keeps our doors open wide, our music soaring and our care for one another steady even in — especially in — hard times.
I invite you to join me in supporting our community of faith. We need Ascension, and the world around us needs communities that show the wideness, goodness and beauty of God’s mercy. May your stewardship practice this year be liberating for your soul, and for our neighbors.
Gratefully,
The Reverend Elizabeth G. Maxwell, Rector
Why does Ascension need my pledge?
- It costs about $3,800 a day to keep Ascension open. Our clergy and staff work hard to provide all that you love about Ascension including our worship, music, and programming. Behind the scenes, our clergy provide pastoral care and our staff manages our buildings and day-to-day operations.
- Our buildings are very beautiful and very old. Keeping them both functional and beautiful requires constant maintenance and renovation, some of which is very expensive.
- We need to increase our pledge income to secure our financial future. Currently, a substantial drawdown of income from our endowment is necessary to pay our bills. Generally, this draw is limited to 5% for nonprofits. We cannot and should not be relying on it to cover our expenses.
- Are you giving frequently to the plate on Sundays? Consider Pledging! While we welcome plate offerings, they vary, and Ascension cannot plan a budget based on them. Pledging provides our Finance Committee and Vestry with solid numbers to budget and support all activities for the upcoming year.
Liberating the Soul of the Giver:
Our Message about Financial Support
- If you worship with us in person or online, you are invited to join us in supporting our communal life at Ascension.
- We also acknowledge that we are living in uncertain economic times, and that tariffs and inflation are affecting members’ finances as well. Please consider giving according to your means.
- Giving does not need to mean giving money! We welcome your God given talents and participation in our ongoing activities. (Call the Parish Office at 212-254-8620 to learn of opportunities for participation).
Please fill out the pledge form, including your name, address, amount you are pledging, your payment method, and how often you will pay. Even if you sign up to do regular payments online, please still fill out the pledge form for record keeping and parish budgeting purposes. Your pledge is strictly confidential and tax deductible to the extent provided by law.
Payment options:
- You can pay online right here on our website! Just go to ascensionnyc.org/give.
You can also pay online via the Abundant platform. Visit abundant.co/ascensionnyc/give. Or download the Abundant app for iPhone or Android. Whichever route you choose, set up an
account with an e-mail and password, then select an amount, frequency, and “Stewardship Pledge 2026” as the fund to contribute to.
If your pledge for 2026 is to be paid by recurring payments, e.g. monthly, please make sure to indicate a start date for payments. If you include an ending date, you will need to create a new recurring payment for the next pledge year. Even if you don’t include an end date, you should still update your recurring gift to apply it toward “Stewardship Pledge 2026” with your new pledge amount by selecting “Scheduled Gifts” under your name, and then choosing “Edit” next to your payment information, as shown below. Call the church if you have questions.
OR
- Pay your pledge by check placed in traditional weekly
envelopes that will be mailed to you if you check that box on the pledge form.
OR
- Pay your pledge with your credit or debit card by checking the box to have the bookkeeper contact you for your credit card information, so that your card can be charged at regular intervals throughout the year. (Please consider covering the small usage fees for credit/debit card payments or Ascension will need to pay them.)
OR
- Pay on your own schedule using Zelle at our email: info@ascensionnyc.org.
Pledge Form for 2026
Stewardship Calendar
Distribution of Pledge Cards:
October 11, 2025
You should have received a pledge card and information in the mail. (It includes the same information found on this web page and the online pledge form above.)
Harvest Dinner:
November 13, 2025
We will celebrate our life together as a community.
Blessing of Pledges:
November 22, 2025
We aim to gather pledges from everyone by this date for blessing at the 11 am service.