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    Capital Campaign Visit

    Impacting God’s World

    Good morning.  My name is Chuck Hennon.  My wife, Carolyn, and I have been members of this church for 35 years.  I am currently one of your lay leaders and Carolyn and I both serve on the Capital Campaign Steering Committee.  This will not be your standard Stewardship message.  I’ve been asked to talk about the dreaded “visit” that is considered an integral part of the capital campaign.

    Most of our annual stewardship campaigns over the past years have consisted of receiving a pledge card in the mail, prayerfully considering the amount to be pledged and then presenting the card on the altar during pledge Sunday.  Our capital campaign is different.  Our goal is to personally visit each member of our congregation. 

    Now if I were sitting out there where you are, I would feel uncomfortable talking to somebody who I assume would be asking me to make a pledge.  I would think to myself what I contribute is very personal and I will make that decision individually or with my family in private.  If I saw the caller ID read Chuck Hennon, I might not even pick up the phone.  Am I right?  In the next three minutes, let me share with you what really happens during the “visit”.

    First of all, we don’t have to meet in your home.  We can meet in our home or the church or any place you feel comfortable.  The visit will begin with a two way conversation, a sharing between my family and yours about our history and why we joined the church and how it has become important to us.  Together we will then go through the “campaign brochure”.  The brochure has been created by the Steering Committee and covers several important points about the campaign.  Among those:

    1.    The history of our church beginning with its roots in 1819.
    2.    The growth God is placing before us and our desire to expand our ministries for Jesus Christ.
    3.    Information about our vision for the future and how we will achieve that vision.

    I will also say that at the end of the presentation, you will be asked to make two pledges…one to support the 2013 operating budget and the other to support the capital campaign which, of course, will cover the next 5 years.  These pledge cards can be filled out at the conclusion of the meeting or you may want to discuss your commitment with your family over the next several days and that is OK.  Once you’ve made your decision just let me know and I’ll have the pledge cards for you.  These cards will be placed in a sealed, confidential envelope.  At no time will we be discussing your finances or will I see the amount that you’ve pledged. 

    That’s sounds OK you may say, but I heard a rumor that I will be asked to consider pledging a specific amount over the next 5 years and this number is “big”.  I am here to tell you today that rumor is true.  We call that the “ask” number.  Let me explain.  Our Phase II dream is also big and requires that we raise a significant amount of money.  If we add up all the “ask” numbers, the total will get us to our goal.  Not everyone’s ask number is the same, but each will stretch our thinking.  To date, some contributions have come in higher than the ask number and some lower and that is OK.  We only hope that you will prayerfully consider your pledge and be happy with what you can give, not feel guilty about what you can’t.

    In a nutshell, this is what will happen during the visit.  I hope when you see Chuck Hennon or one of the other 20+ members of the visitation team come across your caller ID, you will pick up the phone and make an appointment with the caller.  If you’d like to schedule a visit before you receive a call, please call the church office and you will be accommodated.  We look forward to discussing our church’s vision with you.  God bless.

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