How We Finance Ministry

Stewardship

We believe that every good thing we have and every good thing we are is a gift from God. Therefore, we believe that the appropriate way to make our commitment to God's work at St. James' is to give in proportion to our income, that is, in proportion to what we have. Stewardship is not only the foundation of our financial giving, but the foundation for our giving of our time and talent as well. As we each seek God's guidance in our financial giving, we recognize that the tithe (10%) is the goal we strive toward. All financial gifts are a spiritual matter between the giver and God, so all gifts are welcomed. We ask those who are committed to our community and our ministry to make an annual pledge as a way to help them honor God's leading in their financial life.

Fundraising

Fundraising events help us to balance our budget as well as provide opportunities to work together to support our ministries. From our annual Tricky Tray which is known as one of the best around, to bake sales and presence at local events like Hackettstown Community Day, we work to raise money and raise awareness of our dynamic community.

Our Annual Tricky Tray is our largest fundraising event. See our donors for 2011 here.

Building Fund

The dream of a new parish hall began many years before its architectural plans in 1997 and construction completed in 2009. Over these years, faithful people have donated through capital campaigns, bequests, and gifts small and large to make the dream a reality. We now enjoy our Open Doors Parish Hall and barrier-free access to our 150-year-old sanctuary, once a dream to our forbears before it was built in 1859. The Building Fund is designed to continue mortgage payments for our building, and continues to grow through your donations.