Stewardship is rooted in discipleship and responding to the gifts that God has given. Christian Stewardship is the precious partnership we have with God to manage and share the talents and blessings we have received from our loving Heavenly Father, and through this process, assure that God’s abundance is distributed as widely and as generously as Grace affords. No talent is too small or unimportant; each has its place in the plan of God. Just like our parish tradition, all are welcome, all are needed!

Who we are and what we believe are clearly revealed by how we share our talents and blessings. The world should see us being Christian, not be told! The good news is that God has given us the power to become what we believe, and to become all that we want to be, by the life-giving power we receive from the exercise of generous Christian Stewardship. All that we are, all that we do, and everything we strive to be is made meaningful and complete as we give, live, and serve the God who has given us an abundant life and the commission to share that abundance with others. This is the meaning and the privilege of Christian Stewardship. That is why at Saint Miriam, we do not ask for equal giving, only equal sacrifice. By your weekly or monthly donation, given electronically, we are better able to budget and serve God more abundantly. It is truly a win-win, but all must participate. Please remember that since we do not take up a collection at Mass, eGiving is needed by all, and even our ministry team and priests give to the parish they serve and do so by tithing a percentage of their earned income.

We hope that you will join us on our continuing magnificent journey that began some eight years ago in a small rented chapel in a Jewish Synagogue. Today, Saint Miriam has grown and become vibrant because we have always honored our loving God through the generous and joyful commitment of our lives and resources. We have come to know intimately that when one is generous, God hears and listens and adores! We recognize that all that we have comes from God and we are called simply to be good and wise stewards of these gifts and to ultimately leave a legacy for tomorrow!

The Saint Miriam Fund will be more than just for an annual stewardship appeal, it will be an actual invested endowment to provide for the future of the parish and its related entities. An endowment is a permanent fund established by Saint Miriam to be used for specific purposes. Most endowments, including those at Saint Miriam, are invested in a manner that keeps the principal amount intact and generates income that can be used by the Congregation to support operations, as well as to fund specific and innovative programs, building needs, or services. Best practice dictates that a congregation of our size and diverse programming requires a minimum endowment of three to five times our annual budget. This year’s Stewardship Campaign is designed to move us toward that milestone. Our endowment will be professionally managed and invested in a diversified portfolio of Index and Mutual Funds. The Saint Miriam Fund will begin this year with any contributions so designated directly by the giver, and/or by any surplus donations and pledges received above and beyond the annual projected budget needs.

There are many ways to support the annual Campaign. You may need to reflect upon the role Saint Miriam plays in your life, your children’s lives, and in the life of the community to determine the appropriate level of contribution. Any member of the Campaign’s leadership team will be happy to meet and talk with you to respond to questions. Special dedication/naming opportunities have been identified for the campaign and there are also appropriate honor and memorial categories that can help guide you.

100% of every contribution to the Campaign is tax deductible. Saint Miriam is a recognized 501(c)(3) Religious Organization and all of our entities are not-for-profit. The timing of the tax deductions can depend on how your contribution is structured. Please consult your tax professional to confirm the appropriate timing of your deduction(s).

A planned gift is an agreement to make a gift at some point in the future, usually in your will or other bequest. Many planned gifts are structured as irrevocable bequests. Other planned gifts are structured to take effect during the life of the contributor after some specific event or time period. We have experts to help guide you, should you decide to leave a legacy for the future!

Did you ever inquire to see if your employer, or club, or social network offers assistance to parishes or schools? Your gift could double and help us grow without anything more from your own pocket! So far four parishioners have found ways to help through their work that include United Health Care, IBM, and LVHNN! Please remember to ask…it never hurts and can double your gifts to support our ministry!

You can support this Stewardship Campaign in many ways. An immediate cash contribution can be made, or spread out weekly, monthly or bi-annually electronically. For larger gifts, in excess of $10,000, you may request a predefined structure for over as many as five years. Donating assets other than cash, like appreciated securities, stocks, bonds, or even vehicles and boats, is also an option! Additionally, there is always the option of making a legacy gift through your designating Saint Miriam as part of your Last Will & Testament. Finally, a contribution can be structured using both a planned gift and a current cash contributions. There are may ways to benefit your desire to give and the parish you have come to love who gives so much back to you and your family!

There are three main groupings of individuals who attend and call Saint Miriam their spiritual home! (1) Those who have never given, (2) Those who give, but only periodically and without regularity, and (3) Those who already give electronically and on a regular interval that allows us to budget better and reduces the stress on our ministry team, especially our pastor! Let us take each here to make it easy!

1. If you have never given, just complete the form that came with this brochure, or pick up another in the Library, or from anyone on staff, and we will process it for the amount and date you specified! It’s that easy! Start today and watch your gift help others!

2. If you are giving, but not on a regular basis, please consider doing so this year! Regular givers help us to plan better and budget better and your planned giving becomes party of your overall giving portfolio, and you would be surprised how gifts of any size adds up quickly to support the mission and values of Saint Miriam! Just complete the enrollment form that came with this brochure, or pick up another in the Library, or from anyone on staff, and watch your gift help others!

3. If you are already giving on a regular basis electronically let us be the first to give you one enthusiastic thank you!! Your regular gifts help us help others and has brought us this far! We could not be more thankful. To increase your giving, which we ask everyone to consider every year, just see anyone on staff, email us at Info@mySaintMiriam.org, or write a quick note to let us know how much you would like to increase and we will take care of it for you! If you have your user name and password, you may also go to our website and log in under “Support” to Vanco Services and increase your weekly or monthly amount at any anytime!

Make this the year that you join the many parishioners who give so we might live, grow, and thrive to help others!

What is your area of expertise? What do you know how to do better than most people around you? What are you really good at and enjoy doing? Perhaps it is parenting, or maybe you are an excellent accountant, or have a beautiful voice and can sing like an angel. You listen well and are a caring friend, or you know how to bake a mouthwatering apple pie. You are a creative and inspirational artist, or perhaps you are a teacher who has the ability to explain even the most difficult concept in a way that seems simple and easy to understand. These attributes are called “talents”. We survive, as a parish, because of all the wonderful volunteers who commit to so many areas. These needs include the Saint Miriam Cafe’, cleaning, support services, pre-school volunteers, greeters, readers, acolytes, Eucharistic Ministers, sacristy support, choir members, CFF Educational volunteers and teachers, and so much more.

We welcome all who would like to be involved in the Campaign effort! Please contact Mrs. Pat Wilcke 215-836-9800 x702, our Stewardship & Fund Chair, for more information.

Those are the words of St. Francis of Assisi and they could not be more true of our parish and its philosophy on giving. We give because we love. We care because God loved us first. We throw open wide our doors every day, at every Mass, at every time of year, because we know the sting of what it is like to be orphaned and rejected. We give from our wealth and in our poverty, too, because we believe that it all belongs to God first. And when we reject giving, we reject God. Not here.
Our mission has remained fairly simple: We welcome everyone! And, that core belief, that core attitude, that change in the hearts of all who call Saint Miriam home has prevailed and extended and survived despite the world’s best effort to change us. We welcome everyone. It is that simple.

From our humble beginnings some almost nine years ago, in that rented space within a Jewish Synagogue with only two active parishioners, to today where we now reside on 12.5 acres in the middle of beautiful Montgomery County, we have survived and grown into a place of hope and life!

But we have never once stopped. No not once have we rested on our laurels. We have used what we have gained – and what you have so generously given back to God – for the betterment of the world. We provide everyone who comes a place of welcome and hope and peace with our wonderful parish. We invested heavily this past year with new electrical, plumbing, restroom upgrades, paint, carpet, and heating systems. We increased our commitment our strong Green Policy and protected God’s environment and reduced further our carbon footprint with better HVAC, LED technology inside and out, Energy Star kitchen appliances, refillable water station, and electronic environmental and lighting controls. We enhanced our hospitality with our Saint Miriam Cafe’, we provide a quality, affordable private education to any child, from any circumstance that needs or desires one, and we rejuvenated a historic cemetery; a place of rest for the souls who entrusted their remains to others, and made it even better with the opening of the newest section, The St. Francis of Assisi Green Memorial, Section F. But, we weren’t done yet and soon cared for the least among us – the lower of creatures, but as St. Francis would have wanted, and blessed the new Angels of Assisi Pet Memorial Garden, too!

We did all of this because of you, your generosity, and your abundant love. But, there is much more to do!