2. STEP UP IN FAITH Capital Stewardship Campaign 2009
Thank you, Father.

3. Stewardship Time Talent Treasure
A way of life for all who are baptized in the name of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit
We are called to share a portion of the gifts God has given us…
Time
Talent
Treasure
Stewardship is a way of life for all of us who are baptized.
As thankful and faithful stewards of the gifts God has given to each one of us, we are called to share a portion of these gifts: gifts of our time, gifts of our talent and gifts of our treasure.
St. Francis of Assisi challenged us when he said, “For it is in giving that we receive.”
“For it is in giving that we receive.”
St. Francis of Assisi

4. Stewardship Today’s focus is on our gifts of treasure
We need to continue with the work of completing Phase I of our Stairway to the Future
We need to pay off our loan to the Diocese of Lansing
As you are aware from recent church communications, we need to continue with the work of completing Phase I of our Stairway to the Future.
We need to retire our capital debt…We need to pay off our loan to the Diocese of Lansing.

5. Climbing the Stairway to the Future
Hundreds of you in our parish family dedicated your time and talent to preparing our plan
2002
Purchased 46 acres of land
Stairway to the Future
Committee & Consulters
2003
I – The Church
II - Classrooms
Parish Hall
Offices
Phased
Approach
2000
VOICES
Our success to date is the result of the dedication of hundreds of our parish family members doing the work of planning and preparing for our future.
Through Voices sessions in 2000, the consulter sessions, and the Stairway to the Future Committee, we defined how our new house of prayer would be shaped.
When our 46 acre site was purchased, we defined what our future would really look like, foreseeing the building of our church followed by classrooms, a parish hall and offices.

6. Ceremonial groundbreaking Feast of St. Joseph
2005 was marked by the groundbreaking ceremony on March 19th, the Feast of St. Joseph.
2005
Ceremonial groundbreaking
Feast of St. Joseph

7. Construction began in 2006.
2006
Construction begins

8. 2008
Church Dedication
Ultimately, the new St. Joseph Church building was completed in 2008 and dedication took place on March 15th of that year.

9. Let us move forward together, with faith
in our future and in
God’s will.
From our Dedication, Bishop Mengeling’s remarks reminded us that we are called to move forward together, with faith in our future and in God’s will.

10. ClassroomsParish Hall Offices
The Big Picture
Religious Ed House
Parking
Festival Building
Our New Church
Future plans
More Parking
ClassroomsParish Hall Offices
Land & Infrastructure
Illustrated on this slide is the site plan for St. Joseph’s unified campus.
Completed items are shown in the blue circles, and include:
acquiring the land and installing all necessary infrastructure;
providing plenty of parking space;
constructing and occupying our new place of worship;
renovating and utilizing the on-site house for religious education;
and, building the festival kitchen and pavilion in time for its use at our first “Festival at the Corner,” this July. This pavilion was provided through the work of parishioners and the Dexter Knights of Columbus Council #2959.
The areas shown in orange are Phase II which will be our work in the future.

11. What do we have?
So what have all of us received from all of your sacrificial giving of time, talent and treasure over these past years?

12. A beautiful, new worship space
We have a beautiful, new worship space with barrier-free access and seating for 750.

13. Increased weekly Mass attendance
Increased mass attendance and increased growth in church membership.
Increased weekly
Mass attendance

14. Large & vibrant Gathering Space
We have a large and vibrant gathering space that allows the “living stones” of the church…us, the parishioners… to participate in fellowship with each other. The space provides a warm and welcoming atmosphere for all who come to our Church.
Large & vibrant
Gathering Space

15. Enlarged liturgical music space
We also have an enlarged liturgical music space for our talented musicians to praise God with their musical gifts.

16. 46 acres on which
to grow
Finally, we have 46 acres on which to complete our Phase II goal of a unified campus.

17. A warm and welcoming, unmistakably Catholic Church
We have a warm and welcoming, unmistakably Catholic Church.

18. Successes & Miracles $3.1 million: Stairway to the Future
$1.6 million: Called to the Next Step
MIRACLE FUNDS
$1.3 million: Estates & memorials
$657,000: Art & environment
$400,200: Festivals
$190,000: Contributions in excess of pledges
$130,000: Various parish fundraisers
$108,000: “Corner” property tree sales
On this journey, through generous giving of your treasure, the Stairway to the Future and Called to the Next Step campaigns were successful. $ 4.7 million has been received to date.
In addition, we have received “Miracle funds” of over $2.7 million from:
parishioner estates and memorials,
Art & Environment,
festivals,
contributions in excess of pledges,
various fundraising activities including silent auctions, community rewards programs, and cookbook and statue sales, and
“corner” property tree sales.

19. Where We Are Total project cost-to-date $12 million
Total revenues-to-date -$7.8 million
Total debt (loan w/Diocese) $4.2 million
The total cost to complete all of these items was $12 million. $7.8 million has been raised to-date, leaving a balance of $4.2 million in debt that we owe the Diocese of Lansing.
Paying off our loan will immediately reduce our interest expense, and allow the Diocese to start helping other parishes financially.
We aren’t ready yet, but when we finally pay off our loan, we can start thinking and planning the 2nd phase of our Stairway effort.

20. Step Up In Faith Capital Stewardship Campaign
What we need from you
Carefully consider
the information provided to you
Prayerfully reflect
on how God is calling you to stewardship
To pay off the loan to the diocese, we have embarked on the next step of our Stairway to the Future with the Step Up In Faith Capital Stewardship Campaign.
Here’s what we need from you, beginning today, and for the next few weeks.
Carefully consider all of the information provided to you, today and in the near future.
Prayerfully reflect on how God is calling you to stewardship. How is He calling you to share your gifts of time, talent and treasure in this campaign?

21. Step Up In Faith Capital Stewardship Campaign
What we need from you
Accept invitations
to join a Capital Stewardship Campaign team
Determine your level of sacrificial giving
for the upcoming Commitment Weekend on November 7/8
Accept an invitation to participate on any of the Capital Stewardship Campaign teams. You can also volunteer by contacting Monica Szymusiak in the parish office.
Through your prayer over the next few weeks, seek to determine the level of sacrificial giving you will be willing to commit, during the upcoming Commitment Weekend on November 7th and 8th.

22. Why Now?
Income from our contributions to the first two campaigns ends December 2009
Income from our contributions to the first two campaigns ends December 2009
We still need to make regular loan payments to the Diocese of Lansing
We still need to make regular loan payments to the Diocese of Lansing
Why try to raise money now?”
It’s really pretty simple. We made pledges in the Called to Next Step Campaign that spanned a three-year period that ends December After that, we won’t have the money to make our loan payments to the Diocese.
Because the Diocese of Lansing is not a bank, it needs our money so that it can respond to the needs of other parishes in the Diocese. It cannot be expected to wait until we decide we can pay them back.
It is clear from reading the weekly bulletin, we cannot meet these loan obligations from our offertory contributions. So, there really isn’t any choice.
We cannot meet these loan obligations from our offertory contributions

23. His Kingdom here on earth
And Remember
It’s not just about paying off debt
It’s really about…
Doing the work of God,
the work of building
His Kingdom here on earth
This may sound like its all about money, but it’s not.
It’s about having a place to bring God’s people together in worship and love, not just for today but for many decades to come. It’s about providing for our children and their children. It’s about inspiring others through sights, sounds and interaction with people in a loving Christian community. It’s really about doing the work of God here on earth.

24. Step Up In Faith Capital Stewardship Campaign
“For where your treasure is, there will
your heart be also.”
Luke 12:34
“For it is in giving that we receive.”
St. Francis of Assisi
During the next few weeks of prayer and discernment, consider the following:
First, the quotation in Luke 12:34, where Jesus says, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
Second, the words of St. Francis of Assisi: “For it is in giving that we receive.”

25. Step Up In Faith Capital Stewardship Campaign
Keep in Mind…
Place your absolute trust in God
Not Equal Gifts, but Equal Sacrifice
Third, particularly during these uncertain economic times, the challenge is to let go of making decisions that give top priority to our own self-interests, and to make conscious choices to place our absolute trust in God.
(speak very slowly here)
Lastly, this campaign asks each family to make a three-year sacrificial commitment…a pledge according to their means.
No one will be pressured to give.
No one will be told how much they should give.
The campaign seeks: Not Equal Gifts, but Equal Sacrifice.

26. Bishop Kenneth Untener
“We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.”
Bishop Kenneth Untener
I would like to leave you with a final quote from Bishop Kenneth Untener.
“We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.”
Our village church reminds us of the seeds that were planted by our parish ancestors over 150 years ago. Later generations of Catholics watered these seeds by constructing additional buildings, thus creating a unified campus in the village. As St. Joseph parishioners, we have all benefited from their sacrifice of time, talent, and treasure.
Our new church reminds us of the seeds sown by present parishioners who undertook the construction of our new church…just a few years ago. These seeds need to be watered, too.

27. STEP UP IN FAITH Capital Stewardship Campaign 2009
In this campaign, parishioners are being called to stewardship…to Step Up In Faith to make a sacrificial gift of treasure… knowing that the seeds that have been sown on our new church campus also “hold future promise.”
Thank you for your attention and God bless you.
DO NOT READ TO PARISH:
(Father will invite people to stay in the pews after mass for a question and answer session. Please plan to stay after mass to help field these questions.)