Stewardship

Each year our members make a financial commitment to keeping Live Oak UU Church up and running. Read about the current yearly campaign as well as past activities on this page!

October 2006

2007 Live Oak Stewardship

If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands!

Live Oak UU Church makes a difference in our lives, our families’ lives, and the lives of countless others. Live Oak is where we can share our search for meaning, spirituality, social justice, and fellowship. Live Oak is a nurturing community that has become our extended family.

I’m happy because I am part of this community and my life has so much more joy and meaning because of it.

For everything Live Oak is to us and to the greater communities we touch, we need to celebrate by living our values and pledging generously so that we may reach out even further. Be as generous as you can. Let your pledge reflect not only your happiness, but your vision of an even greater tomorrow.

If you’re happy and you know it, let your pledge clearly show it. Shout Hooray!

Tim O’Brien for the Stewardship Committee

September 2006

In a few weeks we will be kicking off our Stewardship campaign. What’s that? Last year we called it “the canvass”, where we asked for your financial support in helping to maintain the annual costs of our church community.

This year, although the end results may be comparable, we have changed our approach. We want to talk about a vision-based campaign, rather than one based strictly on a narrowly focused budget “to get us through the year”. We need to do more than just meet our bills. Our common values and lives demand more than that.

What is your vision for Live Oak? We now have close to 200 adult members and over 150 children. What can we as a community do to help our church nourish our children and feed and support our hearts and souls?

If you are a committee or team chair, what is your vision for your committee and how can it help enrich church life? What would you need in terms of support to do the things you have dreamed about?

We welcome your input and have a special email address for you to give us your feedback: liveoakstewardship@gmail.com. Tell us your hopes, your needs, and what we can all do together. Your comments will not be made public without your prior consent. After input from you, the Finance Committee will put together a proposed goal for our campaign, based on our common vision.

Let us know and we’ll get back to you soon!

Tim O’Brien & Sheryl Mackey
Co-chairs, Stewardship Team
liveoakstewardship@gmail.com

November 2005

2006 Stewardship Pledge Drive Update

Our 2006 Stewardship Pledge Drive began with the Open House showcasing the numerous programs and activities Live Oak offers. Stewardship Sunday provided an opportunity to discuss and share in small groups the programs and activities that are important to us. Based on the more than 40 pledges made before October 23, the overall increase in pledges for this group is about 15% with some individual pledges increasing by over 50%. People often ask the following questions:

Why pledge now for 2006? Why not just give what I can when I can?

Pledging helps Live Oak plan the budget for 2006. It enables us to move towards fair compensation for our staff while minimizing financial risk. Pledging helps the givers plan their own personal budgets. Note that a pledge is not a legal agreement but a high confidence estimate of what one plans to give. One can contact the Treasurer to increase or decrease pledge amounts during the year, for example because of changes in employment. Pledging helps maintain your Voting Member status. Voting membership is required to vote at Congregational meetings.

What should I pledge?

The UUA recommended guidelines are provided in pledge brochures. All suggested amounts are based primarily on income levels. For reference, here is an approximate breakdown of 2005 pledge units analyzed a few months ago:

For 2006, our goal is to increase overall pledges by at least 12% over 2005 levels as a first step towards fair compensation levels and other stewardship goals. Having all pledges turned in by the end of October will enable Live Oak to make progress towards determining the budget. If you have not been contacted by a canvasser yet, please let Ravi Chandran (ravi_chandran_1@yahoo.com) know and he will have someone contact you. If you have already talked to a canvasser but haven’t turned in your pledge, you may email your pledge information directly to the Asst. Treasurer, Tere Kaulfus (terekaulfus@austin.rr.com).

October 2005

Testimonials from Live Oak Members

Stewardship Sunday Luncheon

When: Sunday, October 9, immediately following the service, from 11:30 am to 12:15 pm. (For RE teachers, the time will be from 12:15 pm to 1:00 pm.)

Why: to toss a ball of yarn …

Yes, tossing a ball of yarn will be a part of this event – come and find out what that’s about!

Stewardship Sunday is a day dedicated to thinking about our common future and aspirations for 2006 as a church community. All members and friends are invited to join in a special luncheon after the service in honor of your time, energy, and commitment. Look for an official invitation letter in the mail. We’ll gather in small groups in different rooms throughout the church for a 40-minute lunch and group discussion. (This is where the ball of yarn comes into play!)

This event is also an opportunity to determine and submit our individual pledges for the 2006 fiscal year, so that the budget for our programs and activities can be completed in a timely manner by the Strategic Planning, Steering, and Finance Committees for dissemination and vote at the next congregational meeting. This will also minimize the need for one-on-one canvassing to those who are unable to attend the luncheon.

While a ball of yarn will be tossed, we assure you that no knitting needles will be used during the luncheon.

Stewardship Tea

September 2005

Stewardship

Living Our Values

Why on earth would anyone willingly want to be Canvass Chair? Sometimes we are drawn to tackle what we struggle with most. I took on this role primarily to come to grips with my own struggles with giving and generosity. As UUs we often openly discuss sex, religion, and politics. However, even on our lively chat list, money and giving are rarely addressed.

Mahatma Gandhi considered “religion without sacrifice” as one of the “seven sins of the modern world”. What I have come to understand is that living our values – our UU principles – cannot be achieved without a certain level of sacrifice. And right here amidst us we have prime examples of those who sacrifice most to affirm and promote these universal principles – our ministers, DRE, Music Director, Administrator, and Newsletter Editor. These talented individuals could earn far more in the private sector for their long hours and hard work. At Live Oak they make sacrifices for the greater good by accepting part-time compensation with no benefits. The UUA publishes well-researched Fair Compensation Guidelines. Based on these guidelines for the Austin area, our overall pledge levels would have to increase by over 30% for 2006. Achieving fair compensation for those employed within our own spiritual home hence represents our greatest challenge as Live Oak UUs if we are to uphold our second UU principle affirming and promoting justice, equity, and compassion in human relations.

Live Oak has a Lifespan RE program that is second to none among liberal religious institutions in this area. For instance, only a church three times our size typically has as many children and adult volunteers in the children’s RE program. The precious gift of time given by our dedicated volunteer teachers to sustain this quality program is a great testament to Live Oak’s priority of nurturing spiritual development. Furthermore, our congregation has a vibrant tradition of volunteering. No matter what the call – whether it is to make minor repairs at church or to renovate an entire house via the Hands on Housing program – reaching out in service is important to us.

So how do we individually decide what our annual pledges will be? From a consumer mind set of paying for the services we use, we could calculate the dollar value of the church’s services we receive and perhaps pay accordingly. However, my struggles with giving came from a gut feeling that this approach left much to be desired. In seeking a more spiritual approach to giving, the answer for me lies in the seventh UU principle which speaks of the interdependent web of all existence. For example, while my partner and I have no children in the RE program, we take into account in our pledge the need to support a strong RE program for children that will help to shape the future towards a more peaceful and just world long after we depart.

Perhaps Gandhi’s view of the need to sacrifice for religion corresponds to the Unitarian view on interdependency. Each of us has different amounts of time and money to give at different points in our life journey. May the formula for giving that we use at each point along this journey be based not on what we use in church services, but as a conscious spiritual practice in living our values. The Stewardship Team asks you to reflect on these values as we pledge to work toward achieving fair compensation, nurturing spiritual development, and reaching out in service.

Ravi Chandran

Stewardship Chair

December 2004

2005 Canvass Update

Thanks again for pledging to the church’s 2005 operating budget. The proposed 2005 budget will be discussed at the December Steering Committee and finalized. The congregational meeting to approve the budget will be held on December 19, immediately after the service. Please plan on attending or giving a written proxy to another member.

In the January newsletter, I’ll discuss the 2005 budget. As always, if you have finance questions, you are welcome to contact me, George Huntington, or John Iacoletti (Treasurer), or Tere Kaulfus (Assistant Treasurer).

George Huntington

October 2004

PLEDGE CAMPAIGN 2005

The 2005 Pledge Campaign officially kicks off on Sunday, October 3, with Celebration Sunday! Through the pledge campaign, we raise money to fund the operating budget of the church for the upcoming fiscal year. The pledge dollars contributed by each of us maintain the ongoing life of the church and help create new programs to make the church’s vision a reality. On this special Sunday, we invite you to join us immediately following the service for a delicious lunch, musical entertainment, a slide show of life at Live Oak, and friendly fellowship. Special activities, including a moonwalk, are planned for the children. This year we encourage you to attend the Celebration Sunday luncheon and use that opportunity to make your pledge for 2005. Full participation in early pledging greatly facilitates the work of creating a budget for 2005. If you are unable to attend, you will be contacted by a canvasser to complete your pledge. We look forward to seeing you there! The Finance Committee

November 2003

BONUS: Click here to see photos from the canvas dinner!

CANVASS AND FINANCE COMMITTEE UPDATE

Thanks to Scott Osborne for coordinating our Canvass Dinner Event. Thanks to Sarah Swords and Franklin Kalk for creating our pledge brochure. And tons of thanks are due to the army of volunteers who made the pledge dinner event possible. Entertainment, set up, clean up, child care, youth program, and decorations don’t just happen: your community comes together to make this a reality.

I also wanted to thank our twenty-two canvassers who are contacting one hundred sixteen families and individuals! Of course, this is our all-time high. Over 20 of our contacts are new to the church in the last year!

This year's canvassers are: Jenny Carloye, Ann McCracken, Jon Durbin, John Iacoletti, Loretta Sedlock, Greg Sedlock, Sarah Swords, Scott Osborne, David Smith, Glenn McIntosh, Alice Sessions, Jim Ford, Daniel Kaulfus, Rob Sartin, John Phelps, Joyce Phelps, Dale Todd-Thompson, Sylvia Davis, Roger Sessions, Joe Nesheim, George Huntington, Scott Claver, Gary Schumann, and Julie Lake.

The finance committee gets real busy about this time of year. Below is our November and December Finance Calendar:

· October 25-November 9: Canvasser visits and meetings occur

·  November 2: Monthly Finance Committee meeting to work canvass issues and check up on October income and spending

·   November 10: Target date for all pledge cards to be turned in to the Finance Committee

·  November 18: Finance Committee working on 2004 budget with committee chairs at the Committee/Business meeting

·   December 7: Finance Committee meeting to finalize pledge numbers and agree on a proposed budget for Steering Committee

·    December 13: Steering Committee meeting – Finance Committee presents pledge results and a proposed budget

·    December 14: Congregational meeting to offer the 2004 budget for approval

Your pledge helps us plan 2004’s budget, which translates directly to our yearly programming. Thank you all for your heartfelt giving.

George Huntington, for the Finance Committee

October 2003

Please accept our invitation…

… to attend the Live Oak annual pledge campaign kickoff dinner!!!  The special event will be held on Saturday, October 25, 2003, beginning at 6:00 p.m. We have chosen the theme of the year's campaign to be Striking A New Chord, reflecting the harmony of our new surroundings and the exciting challenges of the year ahead for the church. (There might also be a foreshadowing of the special entertainment for the evening!!) We invite all members and friends of the church to come share a delicious meal (cooked in our very own church kitchen!), and be entertained in an evening of fellowship and fun. Information about the church annual pledge campaign will be provided. Childcare will also be available. Please expect a call from your canvasser in the next couple of weeks, inviting you and your family to the dinner. We look forward to seeing you there! If you would like to volunteer to help make the evening a huge success, please contact Scott Osborne (261-6373).

The Finance Committee has been hard at work planning the evening, as well as organizing the subsequent pledge campaign. Canvassers are being recruited and trained to make individual visits to members and friends of the church. Your canvasser comes to you as a good-will ambassador from the church, not only to collect your annual pledge to the operating fund, but also to get feedback from you about your involvement, concerns, and ideas for the church. Please use your canvass visit as an opportunity to make a new friend, as well as to give generously to the 2004 operating budget campaign.

Have questions about the campaign?

Sarah Swords (257-1739)
George Huntington (343-6356)  

September 2003

SAVE THIS DATE: OCTOBER 25!!!

Get your calendars, both electronic and paper, ready to mark the date of our annual Pledge Dinner!! On the evening of Saturday, October 25, we will gather to officially kick off the church’s operating pledge campaign. We will share a delicious meal together, and then both children and adults will enjoy the evening’s entertainment. The evening will also be an opportunity to learn about the financial goals of the year’s campaign. In the weeks following the dinner, each member and friend of the church will receive a visit from a volunteer canvasser, who will collect their annual pledge to the operating budget campaign. Canvassers also come as ambassadors of the church, to gather feedback about your church experience. The pledge campaign will wind down in late November, when all pledges have been received and the Finance Committee begins to create the budget for 2004.

Your participation will help make this another terrific pledge campaign. When you are asked to volunteer as a canvasser, please reply with a resounding “Yes!” When you are asked to help with the pledge dinner or entertainment, please say “Sure!” With your help, our first operating pledge campaign in our new church home can be a huge success, setting the stage for future growth and health of the church.

Thank you!

Sarah Swords 257-1739

George Huntington 343-6356

September/October 2001

CANVASS DINNER! 

Live Oak's yearly Canvas Dinner is just around the corner! Please reserve October 20th, 2001 on your calendars. Join us for dinner, entertainment, line dancing with lessons, for an all around good time. We will again enjoy the use of Howson Hall at the First Unitarian Univeralist church at 4700 Grover Avenue, in Austin. Child Care will be provided.

Consider this your invitation to the Canvass Dinner. Our canvassers will be contacting members and friends in early October to confirm reservations. You can also confirm your seat by emailing LO_CANVAS@Yahoo.com. Include your name, number of adults and children attending and if you need childcare. More details will be in next month's newsletter (location, time, etc).

November 2000

Pledge Campaign 2001

Where were you on the night of October 14, 2000? If you weren't at First Church at the Live Oak annual pledge dinner, then you missed a rip-roaring good time!! You missed a delicious dinner, a hilarious skit (Ricky Maze in mis-matched plaids and Sue Ann Kendall as a blond bombshell), and lots of energetic dancing. A huge thank you goes out to all the people who made it possible - the canvassers (you know who you are!!),the people of First Church for letting us use the space, Bobbie Hamilton and the food helpers, Chris Lufkin for decorating, Ed Boissevain for writing and directing the P.T.L.O.R.D. skit, all the actors, singers, and musicians in the skit, the middle school youth for doing childcare, and all who volunteered to set up and clean up. So many people contributed and I hope I didn't leave anyone out who deserved our thanks. It was a wonderful way to kick off the pledge drive for the coming year. If you weren't able to attend, you should be hearing from your canvasser. Pledge brochures are available, outlining the financial goals for the coming year. If you have not yet been contacted by a canvasser, and would like to make a pledge for 2001, please contact Sarah Swords (sswords@austin.rr.com).

October 2000

WELCOME TO PLEDGE CAMPAIGN 2001 - FOCUSING ON THE FUTURE 

The Finance Committee would like to invite you to the annual pledge dinner, the kick-off event for the annual pledge drive. The theme for this year's pledge drive, Focusing on the Future, reflects the process of strategic planning in which Live Oak is currently engaged and the financial goals of the campaign. The pledge drive helps secure the church's future by focusing on areas of growth and change for our community. Your generous participation will help guarantee that the future is bright. 

Copyright ©2006, Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Church.
Last edited Friday, September 21, 2007 08:41 PM by webmaster@liveoakuu.org