Page 2 - Annual Report to Parishioners RTP 2023 - 8 Page

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Thank you for your continued generosity for the mission of Jesus Christ in our neighborhood.
I believe that we made progress as a parish this past fiscal year, culminating in the gift of
Perpetual Adoration that was achieved on Corpus Christi, June 19th, this past summer. Jesus
said, “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the
Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and
those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
We thus became one of the few perpetual adoration parishes in the Archdiocese, thanks to
our All Saints Adoration ministry and staff collaboration. Your support helps fund this Light to the nations. This is a
sacramental sign of the Lighthouse that we envisioned our parish to become in our mission statement. The facilities
that house this and all our ministries require utilities and maintenance. The staff support that helps coordinate this
and many other ministries deserve a living wage. The volunteers who donate their time and talent also deserve all
the resources that will help them know their gifts and fulfill God’s will.
While we have reached many people with our works of mercy, both temporal and spiritual, we want to not only
sustain, but we can increase our reach with your generosity. We have 80k souls in our neighborhood, many of
whom are lacking a personal experience of Jesus Christ. We can be the leaven that causes inspiration to draw them
nearer to Christ, nearer to God’s love. I invite you to partner with me and all of our parishioners in fulfilling our
vision of Sharing the Transforming Light of Christ. All things are possible with Christ who strengthens us. I believe
that we can do it, we can fulfill God’s desire to save all souls in this neighborhood. Are you ready?

Let me know how I, our pastoral team and ministry leaders can help equip you for God’s work here on earth.

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr Ed White
Pastor

Dear Parishioners of Saint Stephen the Martyr,
When I think of the people of St. Stephen the Martyr, I am reminded of the scripture on our
cover, from Mathew. Our parish Vision, “Sharing the Transforming light of Christ”. was based
on this scripture.
Being a few years past the pandemic, the Parish has sprung to life once again. I am amazed
at the number of ministries holding meetings and events shining their light with good deeds
doing the Lord’s work and continually giving praise and thanks through quality worship.
This annual report shows that with all this new life in the parish and with the new challenge
of inflation, our finances are running at a deficit. We had a deficit last year and had to draw from our savings to
fund and maintain our current level of operations. Collection income was down from the previous year, yet we are
supporting a larger number of ministries and programs. We are at risk of having to cut some ministries and
programs in order to be good stewards of our gifts and maintain a balanced budget. Please prayerfully consider if
you can take a step up in your giving to the parish and make a pledge for 2024 so we can plan what we can keep
and if we need to make operational changes.
My hope is for St. Stephens to continue to grow, be vibrant, and fulfill our vision of Sharing Christ’s light in our
neighborhood and beyond. With your continued support we can make that a reality.
I’m looking forward to a prosperous year.

God Bless,
Tom Jones
Director of Operations