April 1, 2026

Dear St. B’s Family,

I hope this Holy Week finds you well and eagerly anticipating the path we are about to enter into together. I am writing to you to follow up on my ask from this year’s annual meeting. In February, I let you know that we needed a 12.8% increase in giving in order to meet this year’s budget. I challenged our community to consider increasing our giving or pledge by 12.8% in order to commit to the financial health of St. B’s. I also shared that most of your vestry, your treasurer, and Father Josh are also making this commitment on behalf of our parish. If you were not at the annual meeting, you can read my original talk here.

I am so humbled by those of you who let me know that you are saying “yes” to this invitation. It means so much to me as your Senior Warden, to the vestry, and to the staff who work incredibly hard to steward our resources well. We are grateful.

I want to offer you a brief update on the current state of our budget. Year to date, we are $67,104 under budget. We knew this year we would likely run a deficit, but it is concerning that our giving is so significantly under budget this early in the year. I share these specifics with you so that we as a community can take ownership of our budget together. As your Senior Warden, I believe that our staff has done their part in setting their ministries’ budget and working incredibly hard to be mindful of how they steward your generosity. The vestry also works diligently, taking fiduciary responsibility and supporting Father Josh in carrying out the ministry of St. B’s. I believe that a healthy parish practices transparency, and it feels important to me that we as a St. B’s family are all on the same page regarding the current state of our budget.

As I participate in the sacred experience that is Holy Week at St. B’s, I feel so grateful for all that our community offers us during this season. I can’t imagine Holy Week anywhere else; Holy Week and St. B’s are synonymous for me. Like many of you, I’d never had the full experience of Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter prior to coming to St. B’s. It is such a transformative experience, and the way that we journey together during this week is something that I struggle to adequately put into words. I am so grateful that my children won’t experience anything other than the full wonder of Holy Week at our parish, surrounded by their St. B’s family.

As we engage these meaningful days together, I once again ask you to consider increasing your pledge or giving by 12.8% so that our budget can remain healthy and we can continue serving you, our community, in meaningful ways. A healthy budget enables our staff and ministries to offer us Holy Week and the good work that we engage in year-round. By giving generously, we acknowledge that the message of Easter is still relevant, that there is important work to be done in Jesus’ name, and that we believe that St. B’s is wholeheartedly engaging in that very work.

If you’d like to pledge for the first time or increase your pledge or giving, please email our parish administrator, Charity, at cvoiles@stbs.net.

With Gratitude,
Elizabeth Nunley
Senior Warden