Every fall during the Annual Operating Fund Campaign, members of St. Paul's are asked to make their pledges. Those joining St. Paul's during the year can pledge at any time by completing this online form. Pledges can be paid weekly, monthly, or annually, in cash, by check, or by securities. The size of the pledge is less important than your willingness to commit a definite amount towards the support of God's work in this community. Ultimately, your pledge is an affirmation of your relationship to God. It demonstrates your gratitude for all the blessings in your life and your acceptance of the reality that all we have and all we experience are God's gifts to us.

Deciding how much to give:
Proportional giving is any regular or intentional giving of a specific amount of money that is proportional to your means.  The standard for giving at St. Paul's is the Biblical tithe of 10% of income.  All parishioners are called to tithe or to be working toward a tithe.  The amount of your pledge in relation to a tithe is a prayerful decision that only you can make.  Please remember the concept of first fruits:  a tithe -- or a percentage working toward a tithe -- becomes the first item in your budget.

We ask you to think about your commitment to proportional giving with a small step.  Promise to give two or three percent each year as a starting point. A proportional giving program is built one pledge at a time, one year at a time.

Changing your pledge during the year:
As a practical matter, your pledge enables parish leadership to budget for mission and ministry. However, during the year, if you should find yourself in circumstances that alter your ability to fulfill your pledge or allow you to increase you pledge, you can change it simply by notifying Maria Halloran at 703-549-3312 x21. 

Understanding the importance of your pledge to the annual budget: 
Over 90% of our annual budget is financed by the members of St. Paul's.  So far in 2012, 447 households have made a pledge.  Our goal this year, as it is every year, is for every member household to make a financial commitment to St. Paul's for 2012. 

The annual budget for 2012 is $1,558,044. In all, St. Paul's Operating Fund pays for parish programs and ministries, building operations and maintenance, personnel, parish outreach, and furtherance of our mission in the community and the larger church.  As we have for many years now, we will continue to support Virginia Theological Seminary, the Diocese of Renk in South Sudan, and our own Lazarus Ministry.