Dear St. Paul’s family,
As you know, almost every Sunday of the year (except during Advent and Lent) we enjoy a beautiful flower arrangement in front of the pulpit. These arrangements are far from free, and we welcome donations from parishioners to mark special occasions such as anniversaries or other special intentions. Penelope Smith creates arrangements in other parts of the church, and we all owe her a debt of gratitude for her ministry. If you are considering making a donation for the pulpit flowers (the suggested amount is $125), it might be helpful for you to know how our gift acknowledgement policy operates.
Other than Christmas and Easter, gifts given to the Flowers fund in thanksgiving or memorial will be acknowledged in Cathedral Life.
· Acknowledgement will be made in Cathedral Life two weeks after payment has posted.
· Acknowledgment of flowers is in this format: “Flowers are given to the glory of God… (In loving memory of NN, in thanksgiving for XX, etc.)”
· The bookkeeper’s weekly giving report will include receipts for flowers. This is forwarded weekly to the Director of Congregational Life (DCL).
· When Flower donations appear on the weekly giving report, the DCL will forward the information to the Communications Coordinator, who will ensure the acknowledgement is printed in Cathedral Life.
Importantly, we cannot schedule an acknowledgment in Cathedral Life unless we have received the donation two weeks in advance. A note stating your intention to make a donation, unfortunately, on its own doesn’t initiate an acknowledgement, although it is important for you to include the reason for the donation with your gift, whether you make it online or via a check. Don’t forget to let us know the date when the acknowledgment should appear. Very occasionally there might be more than one acknowledgment on a given Sunday.
Flowers for Christmas and Easter are acknowledged in a special insert in the service bulletin. Donations must be received by the printed deadline (usually 1-2 weeks before bulletins are printed) in order to be acknowledged. The Director of Administrative Operations prepares the Christmas and Easter acknowledgments.
Incidentally, pulpit flowers that are ordered for weddings and funerals are considered a donation to the church and should always be left in place for Sunday services.
The tradition of giving flowers in thanksgiving or memory is a beautiful one, and the whole community appreciates your generosity.
Your sister in Christ,
Penny
