Stewardship 2025
Dear Clarendon Presbyterian Church,
We give thanks for each of you—for your faithfulness, your compassion, and your hope in the midst of life’s storms, both individually and for our collective body. We hope that Clarendon Presbyterian Church continues to be a place where you can grow in faith and courage. We hope that together we can continue to dream about new possibilities for being the church in the world.
In these words from Deuteronomy 6, we find grounding inspiration:
"The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might." May it be so, as we move forward together in service, faith, and mission.
A Year of Faithful Stewardship
Over the past year, we have witnessed your deep commitment to the ministry and mission of Clarendon Presbyterian Church. Your financial pledges—together with support for our Capital Campaign—have enabled us to continue serving our community and engaging in transformative work locally and beyond. We are grateful for your ongoing generosity. Your combined financial pledging makes up about 40% of our annual budget, with the remainder coming from rents and the endowment.
As we look toward the next year, we invite you to prayerfully consider your financial pledge for 2025. We are asking you to consider a 3.6% increase in your pledge, aligning with the recommended cost-of-living increase from the National Capital Presbytery. If you are able to stretch to 5%, it would help our budget immensely.
If you haven’t pledged previously, we encourage you to consider a new financial pledge to Clarendon Presbyterian for the 2025 year. Pledge increases and new pledges will help us keep pace with the growing needs of our mission and staff to support our mission and worship. We will dedicate pledges in church on November 24. The Stewardship Pledge form is linked here.
Why Your Support Matters
Stewardship pledging is a commitment of faith to give financially to the financial expenses of the church. Our major expenses are staff that enable our mission and worship, our building, and our mission efforts. Through your support, we support local advocacy groups focused on affordable housing, LGBTQ+ rights & support, support for immigrants, and programming for local youth. Here are just a few of the incredible things your support has made possible this year:
Throughout the year in 2024, we have ministered to members of the congregation and wider community, supporting each other through joys, concerns, medical issues and diagnosis, while seeking to foster a community of love and welcome.
Throughout the year in 2024, for outreach and mission:
We supported New Hope Housing through meals and games, grew 410 lbs of fresh vegetables for neighbors in need for the Plot Against Hunger garden often involving the preschoolers, and began in person volunteer service at Culpepper Gardens continuing from last year's successful coat drive.
We’ve been a leader in VOICE, Virginians Organized in Interfaith Community Engagement, meeting with elected leaders on after-school programming and Faith in Housing, a by right path for faith institutions to build affordable housing.
We’ve supported IMPACTO LGBT, a new worshiping community of National Capital Presbytery and the PCUSA. We have celebrated quarterly worship services, and come together for Bible study and faith discussion.
As part of our land and labor acknowledgment, for a second year, we have given a financial donation to an indigenous people’s group. The donation for 2024 was to Through Piscataway Eyes.
Throughout the year in 2024, your leaders have been active! The Session meets at least monthly, our Deacons regularly engage in calls, caregiving, and card-writing, and the redevelopment committee meets at least once a week.
Month by Month Highlights:
December: Hosted a joyful Christmas Pageant with Ms. Muffy Stephyns, Drag Queen, as our narrator.
January: Baptized an infant into the family of God.
February: Celebrated an Eagle Scout ceremony for one of our youth and launched Young Adult Game Night and Faith Chats.
March: Painted Wilson Hall and then enjoyed a lively celebration of a member’s 70th birthday.
April: Supported IMPACTO LGBT’s Leaders of Faith Retreat at Massanetta, and celebrated CPC’s 100th anniversary with a special service led by Rev. Bronwen Boswell who grew up in the church and was Interim Stated Clerk of the PCUSA.
May: Hosted a benefit concert for Ukraine, raising awareness and funds.
Summer: Offered nine weeks of summer camp for local youth, focused on theater, arts, and being known and loved; Celebrated seven years of service of Beth Trent, and then welcomed Allyson Parker in as our new bookkeeper and part-time administrator.
September: Organized and hosted “Housing with Pride,” a panel on affordable LGBTQ+ senior housing, drawing sixty attendees from around Arlington and DC to hear from local leaders and grow in the community. All year we continued to work on our redevelopment making strides in our legal agreements and plan. We also met for three intensive congregational sessions of listening and learning.
Fall: Launched the Flores Rockeras Guitar Program, led by Taisha Estrada, supporting local girls and non-binary youth. We also relaunched monthly Sunday School for kids focusing on mission projects.
October: We hosted and officiated two weddings celebrating the love God makes real.
November: You elected eight people to continue as Elders and Deacons, one new person to be ordained as a Deacon, and two additional people to the nominating committee.
In addition to the Clarendon Child Care Center, IMPACTO LGBT, Aikido Martial Arts, and our own programs, Equality Arlington, He, She, Ze & We, VOICE, an NA group, an AA group, Belle Voche Women’s Choir, the Lyon’s Village Girl Scouts, and Queerly Gathered use space in our building.
- Throughout the year, in worship we focused on the foundations of faith, spiritual practices, and being the body of Christ in the world.
Looking Ahead
As we step into the new year, our commitment to mission and community-building remains strong. We will continue supporting each other and discerning the future of our church building and our call toward mission. We are grateful for the saints of the past and excited about how we are being resurrected as a new church for today and tomorrow.
In the weeks that follow this fall, we may also discern how we may additionally support and walk alongside those most in need including those feeling afraid, carrying deep grief, those who are feeling angry, and those who are feeling disconnected. Your continued financial and prayerful support will be crucial as we navigate this next chapter together.
A Call to Stewardship for the Future
Your pledge is an act of faith—your way of ensuring that the mission of Clarendon Presbyterian Church continues to grow and thrive. As we ask for your 2025 financial pledge, we do so knowing that our work to serve God is made possible by your gifts of time, talent, and treasure.
We give thanks for you, for your faith, and for the ways you have contributed to this community of care and service. May God continue to bless you, and may you experience the joy of giving as an act of faithfulness and worship.
With grace and peace,
The Finance and Personnel Committees
Clarendon Presbyterian Church
Michael Barnett (he/him)
Molly DeMaret-Tahu (she/her)
James Fisher (he/him)
Carl Layno (he/him)
Alice Tewell, Pastor (she/her)