Revitalizing Our Tomorrow

Dear St. Mary’s Parishioner,

As we launch this year’s Annual Pledge Campaign, we extend our deepest gratitude for your ongoing and generous support of St. Mary’s. Your dedication has been instrumental in the significant progress we’ve achieved over the past year. Your generosity has directly enabled further improvements to our facilities, including the improvement of the guild room roof and new windows. We are also pleased to announce that work will soon begin on the fellowship hall windows. Furthermore, your faithfulness and support of the Vestry allowed us to welcome two valuable additions to our team Rev. Natalie Tinner, who brings a broad background in community outreach, and Parish Ministry to her role assisting our Senior Minister, Rev. Canon Michele Hagans. We also welcomed Joe Neal, as Parish Administrator, who contributes a wealth of experience from working with multicultural churches across our Diocese.

One of the many highlights of the past year has been the revitalization of our commitment to our neighbors. This commitment is taking shape through three exciting initiatives: The Annual Scholarship Fund has been reestablished to provide $20,000 annually to support the educational pursuits of one or more eligible SMEC members. We also expanded our Student Outreach thanks to a grant from the Diocese of Washington, which provides programs and support for George Washington University students. This new ministry launched successfully in November with an interfaith service for Campus Ministry Week, welcoming nearly 50 people into our worship space. Furthermore, our Midday Wednesday worship service has resumed, held at St. Mary’s Court.

Without your presence and participation, none of this would have been possible. St. Mary’s, in the heart of Foggy Bottom, is a vital witness to neighborliness, service, and the living God we worship and it is you who make it so. During the coming year, we seek to build on these successes, looking to “share abundantly in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8) by establishing a solid financial base for our parish. To ensure we can continue our growth and outreach efforts in the community, we are working toward presenting a budget for 2026. The sooner you are able to submit the pledge form the sooner we can form a budget for 2026.

We are a small parish looking forward to revitalization and reengaging with many opportunities for worship, fellowship, and service. We know that it is not enough to simply believe; we must act on that faith to serve our neighbors for Jesus Christ’s sake. You already embody this in countless ways. We ask that you prayerfully consider how you will contribute next year. Your financial support enables us to continue bearing joyful witness to all that Jesus is doing in our midst and to join Jesus in caring for others. Please complete and return the enclosed Pledge Letter to the church office as soon as possible.
If you have any questions about what it means to pledge to St. Mary’s, please get in touch with any member of the Vestry.

Faithfully,
Brandon Todd
Senior Warden