Stewardship is about recognizing that all resources, whether financial, personal, or environmental, are gifts from God. It calls for a faithful response in managing these gifts wisely and generously, and it allows us to experience the joy that comes from sharing what we have been given and offering it back to God. When you entrust Christ Church with a financial gift, the Church makes a commitment to steward that gift responsibly and effectively.

The Annual Appeal is the fundraising campaign that supports the mission and annual programs of the parish. In the last quarter of each year, we appeal to parishioners for the upcoming year. Thus, the 2025 Annual Appeal supports the 2025 budget.

In order to most thoughtfully and intentionally plan our annual budget, it is essential we have your commitment to financially support Christ Church as early as possible. That is why each fall we launch our Stewardship Campaign for the coming year. This helps the Vestry in its task of developing a budget and making well-informed decisions about continuing and expanding our ministries and programs.

Pledging or making an intention is a decision to commit annual financial support to sustain Christ Church’s mission and programming. A pledge is disciplined giving - a commitment with a purpose. Unlike plate giving, pledging, or making an intention, allows church leadership to plan and budget accurately and to manage with the confidence that programmatic needs will be met.

Our request is that those who have made Christ Church their spiritual home contribute financially to support the mission and ministries of the church. We encourage you to consider an amount that holds significance in your charitable budget and places Christ Church Greenwich as your top philanthropic organization. The spiritual practice of giving to the Church is grounded in the biblical standard of the tithe, which emphasizes the concepts of proportional giving and giving back to God as first priority. You might think about growing your giving to the Church over time and as a reflection of your spiritual maturation. Start with 1% of your income and step forward with each year until you reach a full tithe.

In a typical year, over 400 households contribute to the Annual Appeal. The amounts of the donations vary – but every gift makes a difference.

There are a number of ways to make a donation to Christ Church. For information on the various payment methods accepted, click here or contact Elizabeth Peyton.

The Church’s fiscal year is the calendar year, so we seek to have all pledge and intention payments received by December 31. Payments may be fulfilled throughout the appeal’s fiscal year as you are able, be it one-time, quarterly, monthly, or weekly payments. Setting up a recurring payment benefits you and Christ Church. It can be automatically paid at the interval of your choosing, making it easy for you to manage. It also helps ensure steady and predictable cash flow to Christ Church all year long.

The Annual Appeal funds the annual budget enabling our common life, mission, and outreach in the community, and so gifts are not restricted within the Annual Appeal. The budget is carefully developed to ensure all ministry areas are supported, and priority is given to supporting costs already budgeted for over new initiatives.

Throughout the year, there are opportunities to donate flowers in honor or memory of a loved one. This is separate from contributing to the Annual Appeal. In addition, there are ways to make a special one-time gift in honor or memory of a loved one.

If you would like to discuss a special gift to support a specific program, please contact Elizabeth Peyton.

We are strongest when all members collectively contribute to funding the mission of Christ Church. The 2024 budget for Christ Church Greenwich was $3,940,000.

The largest source of income is member donations - over 80%. The Annual Appeal alone funds 61% of the budget. Plate income accounts for less than 4% of revenue. Other sources of revenue include various fees at 9%, endowment at 12%, and Vision 2025 funds at 14%. Vision 2025 funds will expire in 2025, and as we look to preserve and expand our ministries, member donations will become ever more important.

No, unlike other denominations, Episcopal parishes are fully self-supporting. They are, however, constituent members of the local diocese, under the authority of the bishop. Dioceses are in turn part of the national Episcopal Church structure. Christ Church contributes an annual assessment to our diocese, the Episcopal Church in Connecticut, to fund our common life together, provide diocesan resources for the parish, and outreach to missions and ministries of the diocese.

Yes, the Church can receive matching gifts. Matching gifts are an excellent way to provide further support for the mission of Christ Church. If your employer does not match contributions to religious organizations, your annual pledge payment may be made to the Horseneck Foundation, our community outreach partner for historic preservation of the Christ Church buildings. This in turn makes your donation eligible for matching. For information on donating to the Horseneck Foundation, email Elizabeth Peyton.

Elizabeth Peyton, Director of Annual Giving, will be happy to speak with you. She can be reached at 203.869.6600, x11 or at epeyton@christchurchgreenwich.org.