November 2010 – Rector’s Ruminations
In my column last month I recounted some of the highlights of our ministry at Emmanuel over the past year. A few of you were interested and also appreciative of the fact that we support a good many non-profit charitable and philanthropic organizations that serve the common good on Orcas Island. We actually exceeded our 10% tithe of pledged income this year in supporting these various agencies.
I thought it might be helpful to provide the rationale that guides the Outreach Committee’s work, headed by John Prince, in making gifts to the organizations we support. Much of the credit for the rationale and criteria goes to Fritz Kraetzer, last year’s Outreach Chair, in developing guidelines for making gifts. We decided that we should focus our outreach on the elderly, children’s education, the environment and organizations that address immediate and basic human need.
Last year and this year, there was and is a fairly even distribution of gifts in these four areas. I also provide support, as needed, from my Rector’s Discretionary Fund, individuals experiencing crisis or need, as well as special needs for certain non-profits on Orcas and the Northwest.
Having recently been asked to serve on the Board of the Orcas Island Community Foundation, I discovered that there was very little knowledge or coordination in terms of how the churches support our charitable organizations and, from the standpoint of the churches, how the O.I.C.F. supports and makes grants to some of the same organizations. In convening the Orcas Island Council of Churches, the opportunity to coordinate our efforts has helped both the O.I.C.F. and the Council of Churches in making gifts and grants in a coordinated way.
When I first came to Orcas Island three and a half years ago, I was struck by the sheer number of charitable and philanthropic organizations here, especially on a per capita basis. It was gratifying to learn about the many persons and dollars that have been an important part of this community’s commitment to serve the common good. In short, this is a very caring and generous community. What confused me at first, however, was what these various organizations do and how they administer their programs.
To that end, I am asking the various charitable organizations that we support to come and tell us about their programs. Actually, we have already had reports and presentations of this type over the past year, e.g. The Noramise Project, The Salish Sea organization and the Orcas Animal Protection Society. To state the obvious, 10% of your pledge to Emmanuel serves as outreach to these important groups that address human need on Orcas Island, not to mention the countless hours many of you have given in support of them as volunteers.
During the next several months, we shall be hearing from the various groups that we support to share information about their particular organization so that all of us will be better informed as to what we are supporting.
Following brief presentations in church, representatives of the various groups will be available at coffee hour to answer questions and provide more information in an informal setting.
Finally, in thanking you for your generosity and support of Emmanuel Parish as we wrap up our Every Member Canvass, know that such support makes good on our promise and continues our heritage as the village church on Orcas, concerned with the well-being of all members of this very special place that we call home.
In Christ,
+Craig
By Bishop Craig B. Anderson