“Our steps are directed by the Lord” (Psalm 37:24)
Almighty God, you bless all our works that begin, continue, and end in you; and you inspire in your people a love for your house: sustain us as we work for the repair of our church building and remind us that we have and hold everything for your glory alone, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Earlier this year, our Property Committee discovered that an important retaining wall, one that has been repaired in the past, is now failing. This wall holds open the space at the back of the church for the below-ground stairwell entrance to our building’s utility room. Consulting engineers have specified that the wall cannot be repaired again but must be rebuilt, very soon, to be twice as thick as it is now. So, work is scheduled to begin in mid-September 2023.
Now, with the approval of our Vestry and support from the Diocese of Delaware’s Advance & Development Committee, we are embarking on a campaign to raise the money needed to rebuild this wall. As many of us as possible need to STEP UP TOGETHER at this time to donate what we can.
Giving Timeline: August 1 – September 30, 2023
Goal: receive $25,000 in gifts
The Diocese will match $1 for every $1 up to $25,000 received by Sep. 30.
See our updates:
October 15, 2023 update – WE DID IT! – we have exceeded 2 of our goals and grant matches!
September 29 update and THANK YOU friends and Diocese! Almost there!
September 17 update and THANK YOU friends and Diocese!
August update for this campaign. $7,000 in gifts received toward $25,000 goal. Thank YOU!
Ways to give toward this campaign:
(1) Give via the parish’s online giving site.
(2) Give by check: Write “Step Up Together” on the memo line and mail your check to St. Thomas’s Episcopal Parish, 276 S. College Ave., Newark DE 19711.
(3) Visit your bank’s website, identify St. Thomas’s Parish as a payee, enter “Step Up Together” in the memo line, and send your gift.
(4) Donate appreciated securities from your brokerage account. Contact Amy Keach (iloveoregon@hotmail.com) for details.
(5) If you are over the age of 70 ½, you may use your IRA tax-free to make a qualified charitable contribution (QCD). Contact Amy Keach or your tax advisor for details.
(6) Or, make a promise to give.
Let’s STEP UP TOGETHER! Your invitation to give or promise to give and Q&A.
Feel free to write to us at StThomasChallengeGrant@gmail.com.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Amy Keach, Treasurer and Property Committee member
The Rev. Dr. Howell C. Sasser, Jr., Rector