West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church

Whichever way you choose to support the church, you will help us to take care of each other, our building and our financial health. The largest support to West Shore is generated from pledges. Pledging is a written commitment that is done annually coinciding with the Stewardship Campaign. However, a pledge can be made at any time.

Pledge

Make a pledge by using Realm or by printing and returning the pledge form below to the church finance office.

PLEDGE WITH REALM

PDF FORM

Pledge Payments

Make a one-time pledge payment or set up a recurring payment. A recurring payment can be done through your Realm account or by printing and returning the Electronic Authorization Form to the church finance office.

One is how a church pledge is a very different thing from gifts to other nonprofits, or maintaining a gym membership, or other expenses. Your pledge goes towards building a community that connects you to heart friends. Your pledge strengthens this community that supports you as you go through the ups and downs of life and rallies you with others to do good works of justice.

If you’ve got children, West Shore will support you in raising them. If you are growing closer to someone special, West Shore may end up celebrating your wedding. If a loved one dies, you better believe that West Shore will be by your side, grieving with you. And when the time comes for death to come for you, as it comes to all, West Shore will remember and celebrate you and love and support your family through a challenging time.

It’s awe-inspiring, actually, when you think about what being a part of a church means. And that’s what your pledge is really about. Not that other nonprofits are unimportant, or working out at the gym. But your church is your spiritual home. We ask that you think about your pledge in this light and make West Shore your #1 priority in charitable giving.

So, given your budget, what can you contribute on a weekly or monthly basis that feels both responsible and significant to you? One practical pointer is knowing how much, on average, is needed. On average, given the current membership, it costs about $1,600 per individual member per year (or around $133 per month) to fund our congregation.

If every individual member gave at that level, we would be able to meet all our needs. However, some folks are unable to give at that level, and others are capable of giving much more than that.

This leads to another practical pointer. You might want to consider giving a percentage of your income. Many members work towards a goal of giving 5% of their income. They don’t necessarily start there, but step up towards it over the course of several years. Some people are committed to the goal of a 10% tithe, because that feels best to them.

What’s for sure is that all pledges are needed and welcome, and if we all step up in our giving together, it empowers our church to make more of a positive difference.

How much to pledge?

No one can tell you that—it’s your choice. But consider pledging an amount that reflects a serious commitment to the place you have chosen as your spiritual home.

Whatever amount you lovingly choose, we hope you will give until you feel truly good about your gift!

And if this is your very first time to consider pledging, welcome! If you have questions, just let us know and we’ll walk you through.

Thank you for your generosity! West Shore can’t exist without you!

The Difference Your Pledge Makes

West Shore is a liberal religious community that has been bringing positive change to the world for 75 years. We like to say, “We need not think alike to love alike.” We encourage freedom of belief in the overall context of loving community. At West Shore, people grow personally and spiritually. This community connects us with real issues and rallies us to step up for positive change.

We’re excited about what this has looked like this past year, and where we’re headed. That’s what this narrative budget is all about—it’s not so much about numbers as telling the story of how West Shore has put people’s financial gifts in service to our Unitarian Universalist values of Love and Justice, and how we intend to continue doing so in the coming year.

Your pledge makes all the difference!

Your Pledge Empowers Caring and Belonging

Building community where people are experiencing beloved connections.
Some examples of this include:

Doing several rounds of Project Check-In, where a team of callers reach out to all West Shore congregants in order to check in and express care.
Growing our Connection Circles program. We’ve gone from 3 to 9 groups in one year’s time!
The work of the powerfully talented and committed Pastoral Care Team.

Your Pledge Empowers Worship, Music, and the Arts

How we engage our religious values in imaginative, memorable, transformative ways.
Some examples of this include:

Maintaining a top-quality worship and music program in the pandemic; continuing to develop innovative programming ideas.
Growing our worship tech capacity to improve the Livestream and to ensure we continue Livestreaming forever.
Maintaining the Holtkamp Organ, which is in its 50^th year.

Your Pledge Empowers Religious Education and Engagement

How people of all ages are put on transformative learning journeys that expand imaginations, inform intellect, and give people something good to do.
Some examples of this include:

Establishing new leadership for both programs under Meghan Ross.
Maintaining top-quality child and youth RE programming in the midst of a pandemic.
Starting an Adult Religious Education Team.
Continuing to add new members in the midst of the pandemic—folks who’ve never stepped one foot inside the building!

Your Pledge Empowers Justice and Outreach

West Shore has always had a culture of activism and an appreciation for how spirituality and social justice are like two sides of the same coin.
Some examples of this include:

Finding ways to serve in the midst of the Pandemic. For example, Urban Hope’s “Help the Homeless” initiative where West Shore member Jillian Cook talked about how she’d never before seen such a flood of giving!
Re-energizing our connection with Greater Cleveland Congregations (GCC) and getting more out there with our witness.
Double-tracking—doing concrete things while also doing the work of strategic planning via the Justice Visioning Task Force.

Your Pledge Empowers Ways and Means

Time + Talent + Treasure + Technology + Space
West Shore is putting our resources of money, time, talent, technology, and physical space in service to our UU values.
Some examples of this include:

Starting a Stewardship Team that will be a year-round standing committee that has oversight over the annual pledge drive, the service auction, planned giving, special fundraisers, major donor cultivation, and any capital campaigns.
We are developing a multi-year facility maintenance plan so that we can more intelligently incorporate maintenance needs in future budgets and Capital Campaigns.
We are developing a Fair Compensation Plan that will help ensure that the West Shore workplace remains attractive for paid staff.
We are developing a new look for our website.
We are installing acoustic panels in Baker Hall to reduce noise and make the space more useable.

Your pledge makes all the difference! Would you consider a pledge this year that reflects your sense of Connection and Commitment to the place you have chosen as your spiritual home?

Thank you!

Church: (440) 333-2255

Child Care: (440) 333-2040

Pledging