​​Freely Give

We live out our faith in Jesus Christ by
serving others and by supporting His Church. 
As Jesus said, "Freely you have received,
​freely give" (Matthew 10:8). 

2021 Pledge Drive

Dear St. Raphael Church family,
 
What a strange and challenging year 2020 has been!  Given all that we have been through, from lockdowns to a derecho to an economic slump and a lot of societal unrest, I am so delighted that you have continued to see the value in maintaining your support of our beloved church.  Your generosity is noted and appreciated.  Now more than ever, it is important to maintain this spiritual oasis that we call St. Raphael Church.  With all the divisiveness and turmoil in our society, we must continue to preserve a place of joyful worship and quiet prayer, a place where we can come together to be refreshed and encouraged, a place that is a little beacon of hope for the greater Iowa City community.  When you support St. Raphael Church with your finances, talents and time, you are not only supporting a community that will be there for you at crucial times in your life, but you are helping to ensure that the Orthodox faith has a presence in Iowa City and Johnson County for generations to come.  
 
A few days ago I was astounded to listen to Iowa Public Radio raise $200,000 in just three days. Their listeners recognize that in order for something of value to exist and be maintained, it takes sacrifice and effort. I am confident that with God's help, we can persevere in meeting our church's needs, so that St. Raphael Church can continue to enrich our lives and the lives of those in our community. Please give generously and from your heart.

There are two important attachments for you to review: a letter from our treasurer (below) and the pledge form (webform or printable PDF).
 
In Christ,
Fr. Ignatius

+++++++++++

From your Treasurer

May God richly bless all of you who have faithfully supported St Raphael with your prayers, your work, and your financial gifts during this challenging year!

Little did we know in the Fall of 2019 what this year would bring. We were facing the challenge of meeting our budget in full after several rough years. In spite of the challenges this year has brought to us and to the world, St Raphael has been able to remain stable financially. We were unable to celebrate Pascha together, and we faced severe limits on attendance throughout the year. This cut into our weekly offering income, and to some extent, our special giving.

Throughout the year, our members were very faithful in continuing their pledges. We applied for and received a Payroll Protection Loan from the federal government (part of the COVID relief program for small businesses.) This $11,671.00 helped us to continue to pay Father his salary and bridged the gap we suffered by missing out on special gifts and weekly cash offerings. We have been including more detailed updates regarding our financial situation in our weekly email bulletin. As always, feel free to contact me if you have questions about our financial situation.

Please prayerfully consider your gift to St Raphael. Having a timely and accurate idea of what our income will be allows the Council to create a prudent budget to present at our Annual Meeting. Mark your calendars for this year’s meeting, to be held on Sunday, December 6th. This year, we will have three options for returning your pledge:
     1. You are welcome to print out the PDF pledge form and return it by mail or drop it off at the church (please mark it “Attention: Treasurer” to maintain your confidentiality.)
     2. You can fill out a similar form online here: https://bit.ly/StRaphaelPledge. 
     3. This form will be forwarded to the Treasurer electronically and your confidentiality will be maintained. Please note that if you would like to have your pledge automatically withdrawn from your account, we will need your account routing number. If you have already been giving electronically, we can continue to use the information we have on file unless you request otherwise. If this is new for you, please drop off or mail the second page of the form with your bank routing information.
     4. You can visit our church website and arrange for a recurring gift using Paypal or your credit card through Donor Box (below).

Keep in mind that our church budget at this time is very basic, and our expenses remain stable even when we are not meeting together in person. Father’s Salary and benefits, basic utilities, mortgage, etc. will remain consistent whatever 2021 brings.

Karen Kuntz
​Treasurer

Ways to Donate and Pledge
​

We joyfully give back to Christ by supporting the church financially, because He has given so much to us. And unlike in the Old Country, our church is not supported by the government. 
Ways to give:

• Use the blue Donorbox widget on this page to give with a credit card or PayPal. Choose specific amounts and specific projects to give to. You can also create an automatic monthly donation.
• Give money at the church any time by placing it in a donation box on the wall by the candle box in the entryway or right inside the nave (sanctuary) doors. No amount is too small, but we encourage you to give faithfully. 
• Send  a check to St Raphael Orthodox Church, 722 E. College, Iowa City, IA 52240.
• If you have questions, email our treasurer. 

Make a financial commitment:

• We encourage everyone to make a commitment to give a certain amount each year. No amount is too small. Most people fulfill (or pay) their pledge by giving a monthly donation. Some give a single large annual gift. However you choose to give, having pledges makes our annual budgeting possible.  Download our Pledge Form  if you'd like to commit to giving regularly.  Mail it to the church, or leave it in the treasurer's inbox on the filing cabinet in the church office during open hours.

We also often need olive oil for our oil lamps (regular, not extra virgin, as it burns too hot). It can be left in the church office.

AmazonSmile
​Do you shop on Amazon? If so, there is an easy way to benefit the church while doing so. Go to smile.amazon.com, where you'll find all of the items for purchase (at the same prices) as are found on the main site.  Once you sign in, you will be asked what charity you would like to benefit.  Enter St. Raphael of Brooklyn Orthodox Christian Mission and 0.5% of qualifying purchases will be given back to the church.  It's that simple.

​ Financial basics: St. Raphael Orthodox Church operates as a financially independent entity—that is, the church is fully responsible for budgeting its income and its expenses, and maintaining the balance of the two. Our expenses include clergy (mainly compensation for our priest), maintenance of our building (including mortgage and all utilities), charity, supporting the archdiocese, and a few other expenses. Our only source of income is contributions from our members and friends in form of regular pledges or one-time donations and gifts. (You are welcome to look at the Treasurer’s Report for a more detailed view of our financial situation.) ​

Choose What to Give Toward

When making yearly pledges, most of us give primarily toward the most important needs: Operating Expenses and the Building Fund. Other ways to direct your giving (listed below) are also on the downloadable Pledge Form and as "Designations" on the blue donation form above.

Main expenses:

• Operating Expenses: St. Raphael Orthodox Church’s 2020 operating budget needs (excluding mortgage) are estimated around $9,360 per month. This includes a partial tithe to the archdiocese, building insurance and utilities, and priest salary and benefits.         
• Building Fund: Our monthly mortgage payment is $1,851.

 
Other expenses:

• Food Pantry: Our food pantry is open regularly to those in need.
• Building Improvement/Special Projects: Currently this goes toward repair and upkeep costs and to the creation of our new kitchen.                  
• Benevolence Fund: This is for small cash gifts given by our priest to those with emergency needs.
• Sunday School: Currently not a part of our operating expenses, Sunday school supplies are essential for learning.

Current Projects

 Our New Kitchen 
​​A longtime dream is coming true. We have begun the process of planning a full-service kitchen off the corner of our fellowship hall in the  basement, where the piano now sits. Just imagine! No more food slopping around in the car on the way to church.
​     To give toward the kitchen: Write "Kitchen" in the subject line of your check. Or in the blue donation box above, click on  the designation "Building Improvement/Special Projects."