Dear Friends and Fellow Parishioners,

We at the Church of the Ascension are experiencing a new sense of hope and purpose as our beloved parish prepares to enter its 179th year. Our commitment to deepening our faith and strengthening our mission has never been greater, even in the face of so much turbulence in the world around us. Mother Liz, Father Ed, the wardens and the vestry are determined to re-invigorate Ascension’s best traditions of worship, spiritual development, education, community service, and social justice involvement.

This year’s stewardship campaign, “Open Doors, Open Hearts” references our history as “the Church of the Open Door” while reflecting those values which make Ascension the very special place we all love so much. Our pledge campaign goal for 2019 is $380,000!

As you can read below, this is slightly less than a third of the cost of running Ascension for a year. Happily, we are able to rely on income from an endowment provided by devoted parishioners in our past. HOWEVER, we draw more from the endowment for our annual operating budget than Ascension’s long-term financial health will allow. The only solution is to continually grow our pledge income on a yearly basis. Over the past several years, we have been successful in gradually growing our pledge income, but we still have room for improvement.

So we turn to you to ask you to consider increasing your yearly gift to Ascension for 2019. We ask you to fill out a pledge form while prayerfully contemplating the following:

• If you have never pledged to Ascension, please consider joining us in supporting our church and its mission
• If you are already a pledging member, please consider increasing your gift by at least 10%, or whatever you feel you can afford
• Consider committing a percentage of your annual income to support Ascension

Remember that everything you love about Ascension needs both financial support as well as gifts of time and talent from its members.

Please fill out your pledge card now — you can use the form on this page to submit it electronically to Mother Liz, or you can print it out and mail it or place it in the collection plate the next time you attend services. We hope to have your pledge by Sunday, November 18, for The Blessing of the Pledges at the 11 a.m. Eucharist.

Our annual Harvest Dinner will be on November 1, All Saints Day, with a special invited guest speaker. We hope you’ll plan to attend and celebrate our life as a community together.

Finally, thank you for your commitment to and participation in the life of Ascension. We look forward to another stellar year together.

Your sisters and brothers in Christ,

The Ascension Stewardship Committee

Eric Achacoso, Peter Clark, David Lehman,
Maurice Seaton, & Rachel Sedor

---

Pledge Your Support Now

Known as the “church of the open door,” the Church of the Ascension has been serving downtown New York City, and beyond, since 1827 — and at its current location for over 178 years. We open our doors as a vibrant center for worship and exploration of faith. We also open our hearts in our social programs and community activities. These are our traditions, but keeping faith with them requires support from all of us.

Why does Ascension need my pledge?

Planning for next year’s worship, music, educational and service programs, outreach, and activities requires prayerful and responsible budgeting. The faithful participation and support from every one of us is essential in order to provide the gifts of time, talent, and treasure for the work of spreading the Gospel.

How is our pledge money spent?

Opening the doors requires a considerable part of our budget, but we are aiming to increase the amount we commit to opening our hearts. Increasing your annual pledge will allow us to achieve that goal!

 

How much should I give?

Ascension’s programs depend on the level of support from annual pledges, so the more we give, the better we can support and grow our ministries for a vibrant future. And while we are fortunate to have a landmark architectural gem to worship in, the upkeep on beautiful old buildings is expensive!

The following chart shows how Ascension members contribute and may give you context for deciding on your pledge amount.

Pledges for 2018 by Size	Number of Pledges (versus 2017)	Amount	Percent of Total Dollars Pledged	Average Pledge
TOTALS	111 (108)	$364,412	100
$10,001 or more	3 (3)	$116,220	31.89	$38,740
$5,001 to $10,000	13 (10)	$96,000	26.35	$7,385
$2,501 to $5,000	21 (22)	$74,590	20.47	$3,552
$1,501 to $2,500	19 (20)	$40,720	11.17	$2,143
$1,001 to $1,500	12 (11)	$15,540	4.27	$1,295
$501 to $1,000	17 (21)	$12,980	3.56	$764
$500 or less	26 (21)	$8,362	2.29	$322

 

I’ve never pledged before, how does it work?

We especially need new pledges, so thank you in advance for joining us in helping support Ascension. Just fill out the pledge card form at the top of this page, or print one out and either send it by mail or put it in the collection plate. You may request a box of numbered envelopes that you can use to place your weekly offering in the collection plate so that your gift is credited to your pledge. If you wish to make automatic contributions, the online form has an option for you to check and our bookkeeper will call you. Or, if you print out a pledge form, you can provide credit card or debit card information on it. Your donation will be charged automatically on a monthly or quarterly basis.