THE ANNUAL APPEAL

You are invited to become a pledging member of the American Cathedral of the Holy Trinity.  In order for us to plan responsibly, it is essential that we know your intentions about giving.  Our budget, our operations, and our mission are dependent upon generosity that is predictable.

The Episcopal Church strongly encourages every baptized member to "strive to tithe".   What that means is that you are encouraged to give proportionately.  And what that means is to give a discernable percentage of your income for the work of the church in joyful thanksgiving for the blessings and generosity of God in your life.  The biblical norm is 10%.  Whether you give 10%, 7%, 5%, or 3%, the important thing in a theology of proportionate giving is to commit to the goal of tithing starting at a level that is appropriate to your circumstances.

Every fall the Annual Appeal offers an opportunity for parishioners to make an annual pledge.  However, pledges are welcomed at any point during the year  Your participation in the Annual Appeal as a pledging member of the Cathedral,  enables wonderful things to happen:

• Expanding the Cathedral's mission and outreach for the needs of the world.
• Fostering a caring, committed community of faithful seekers.
• Enhancing programs for fellowship, education and spiritual formation for children, youth, and adults of all ages.
• Supporting worship as our brightest and best offering to inspire, nurture, and challenge each of us to become active vessels of the transforming love of God in Christ.

For a pledge card or to talk about stewardship and giving, please click on one of the following links to contact the Dean, or either of the co-chairs of the Annual Pledge Appeal, Haywood Blakemore or Jill Cameron.

PLANNED GIVING - THE TRINITY SOCIETY

On June 3, 2007, The Trinity Society was created to recognize and give thanks for those who have remembered the Cathedral in their wills and other estate plans, enabling the members to witness to the value of the Cathedral in their lives and to secure its ministries for generations to come.

Membership in the Trinity Society is open to everyone - neither the size nor the type of gift matters, only that you have shown your desire to support the mission of the Cathedral by including it in your estate plans. Donors will be part of the Trinity Society as soon as they make their estate plans known to the Dean or to the Development Committee chair, and will be recognized annually on Trinity Sunday. If a donor prefers, gifts may also remain anonymous.

There are a variety of means of making gifts from estates, in France or in the U.S. For instance:

Do you have property that you might leave to the Cathedral that could become staff housing or free up current on-site housing for other creative uses?

Did you know that there are a variety of ways that you can make a planned gift to the Cathedral in ways that would benefit you now, and later you estate, your family, and your church?

For more information about the Trinity Society, and about the various means of making planned gifts in France or in the U.S. please contact Nancy Janin, chair of the Development Committee, at Development Chair Nancy Janin. She will be pleased to send you the Trinity Society brochure (click here to download a copy) or speak to you personally about planned giving.