Pilgrim Treasure Hunt

How do you make a decision about giving to Pilgrim? That's the Pilgrim Treasure Hunt question this week.
Giving to others, or giving to support the work of an organization in which I believe, helps me experience life's interconnections. It helps weave me into my place in the larger fabric of life and the world. For me, that sense of connection is part of my spiritual life.
Tithing is a time honored way of thinking about how and where I give. I try to give 5% of my income back to the church I serve in regular pledges and special gifts for the work of the larger church. The other 5% is divided between organizations that do charitable work and help for individuals. In my computer accounting program at home, I have a category simply labelled "good causes." They aren't recognized as tax deductible by the IRS, but they are my own private charitable giving. Each year I check at tax time to see that my church contributions, gifts to other charities and "good cause" entries add up to 10% of my gross income. Most years, I'm pretty close. Rev. Charlotte Frantz

Pilgrim Treasure Hunt

What is your most treasured dream for Pilgrim?

My treasured dream is to restore Pilgrim staff salaries to what they were in the first half of 2010. Not one of our staff has cut his or her work load. Each staff person is hard working and dedicated to Pilgrim!


What's the next step towards your dream?

Increased giving by the congregation.

Julie Johnson

Pilgrim Treasure Hunt

Whom, at Pilgrim, do you treasure?

I treasure Hazel Niss and Gertrude Jacobson. Hazel was always there, asking how things were going and offering bits of wisdom with lots of humor. Raising a family (also with twins), she was certainly able to put things in perspective for me! Gertrude's beautiful smile and loving kindness greets us each Sunday. Her healthy, active lifestyle is an inspiration to us all. I feel very fortunate that these two women have been in my life at Pilgrim! Sarah Beaster

What do you treasure about Pilgrim?

". . .that we are an Open and Affirming church and that we believe God is still speaking. We don't have a rigid creed here. Eleanor and I came to Pilgrim in the late 1950's because we wanted a church with freedom of thought. There are a lot of good people here doing a lot of good things. Almost everyone is active in some way. It's hard to believe I've lived 2/3 of my life here--I sometimes still feel like the new kid on the block! It's wonderful! It's not the building that makes the church, though it helps. It's the people here who count. " Charlie Nichol