STEWARDSHIP

PLEDGE COMMITMENT

Follow this link to the 2026 Rejoice & Give Thanks Pledge Card  which can be downloaded, completed and mailed to the church office. As an alternative to printing the pledge card, you may complete your pledge using the online pledge card below. We ask that you prayerfully consider giving to St. John in the Wilderness in 2026. By pledging your support to St. John’s, you may be assured that we will continue to do our level best to proclaim and minister the good news of Christ Jesus.

All Saints Sunday
November 2, 2025

Dear Friends in Christ,

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus! As Thanksgiving approaches, we find our
hearts overflowing with gratitude for the people of St. John in the Wilderness. Our people are
praying and growing and serving, and the Spirit of God is flowing powerfully in our parish
community. We are supporting each other in our lives of faith, and we are witnessing to the love of
God in so many ways in the larger White Bear Lake community.

Of course, this is nothing new. The people of St. John’s have been praying and growing and serving
in White Bear Lake since 1861 when Bishop Whipple, the first Bishop of Minnesota, dedicated the
original church building at the site which is now the church cemetery. The cornerstone for our
current church building was laid on November 14, 1925, and we have been celebrating 100 years of
worship in this beautiful building all year long with a variety of educational programs and service
opportunities. We hope that as many of you as possible can join us in a special Centennial
Cornerstone Celebration on November 16th.

We have been so proud of the people of St. John’s as they have faithfully continued the long
tradition of ministry in this place. Each and every week, there are opportunities for people to
connect with each other and with God. The clergy and staff do their part, of course, but truly the
heart of the ministry at St. John’s is accomplished by our lay people. You are serving in powerful
ways as Vestry members, worship leaders, pastoral visitors, teachers, Connect group leaders, Altar
Guild members, committee members, outreach workers, and a whole host of other ways. St. John’s is
a busy place with people committed to serving God and others in big and small ways. Further, you
have continued to faithfully support this parish financially. As a result, St. John’s is in a strong
position to continue the work God has set before us.

We are writing this letter to request your continued support for 2026. We are living in immensely
challenging times, and the opportunities for our parish to extend God’s love into our community
have never been greater. As Jesus reminds us, “the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few,” and
we at St. John’s are honored to be counted among those laboring saints of God sent into the fields!
But we really do need your help.

St. John in the Wilderness is blessed with a healthy endowment. While the principal of our
endowment may not be touched, our annual budget does allocate a significant portion of the interest
toward operating expenses. Many thanks to all of you who have been part of the Heritage Society at
St. John’s for this endowment; it really is a blessing. Almost all other revenue for our operating
expenses comes from your generous annual contributions. And so, we are earnestly asking you to
continue to support St. John in the Wilderness by pledging your financial support for 2026.

For over 160 years, the faithful people of St. John in the Wilderness Church have risen to the
occasion to support the work of God through this parish. We are confident that you will understand
the vital need for the Church to continue its witness to God’s love in these current challenging days.
Please consider giving generously to St. John’s in 2026.

May God continue to bless you and your loved ones!

Jim Demay, Warden
Mike Carpenter, Warden
Arthur Hancock, Rector

If you complete your Pledge Card online, you will receive a phone call from our Financial Coordinator to complete the bank information needed to set up Electronic Fund Transfer.

WAYS OF GIVING AT ST. JOHN IN THE WILDERNESS  

Placing a check or envelope with cash in the offertory plate during worship is familiar to us all and is always an option at St. John’s.  Alternatively, you may choose from a variety of other methods for your tax-deductible financial contributions. However you choose to give to St. John’s, please complete a pledge card so that the Finance Committee and Vestry may make informed decisions regarding our budget for 2025. Please place your completed (and signed) pledge card in the offertory plate during worship or mail it back to the church.  Abundance Sunday is on Sunday November 17th. Thank you!

Electronic Giving

To give one time or set up a recurring donation, go to www.stjohnwilderness.org, click on “Give” on the top menu and click on “Donate”, or follow the QR code below. Click on “Ministries and Missions”, and set up your donation. It will default to Credit Card, you can also choose to have it straight from your bank account, as an Electronic Funds Transfer/ACH. EFT/ACH is our preferred method, with lower fees. If you choose to pay via credit card, please consider adding 4% to cover the extra fees. We use Vanco Payment Solution, a premier company that is both secure and easy to use. You may also complete the back of the included Pledge Card (also available at the Greeters Tables upon entrance to church) with your information and place it in the offertory plate or mail it back to church. 

Automatic Bill Pay

Many financial institutions offer free ‘bill pay’ service on their checking accounts. Contact yours if you wish to set up automatic giving to

The Church of St. John in the Wilderness

2175 1st St

White Bear Lake, MN 55110-3462

Stocks

Giving stock shares can be an excellent way to support St. John’s and may save on capital gains taxes. Send your broker your written, signed, and notarized request to DTC transfer your stock gift  from your brokerage account number and title to 

Account Name: St. John In The Wilderness

Account 42723726

DTC 0280

105 New England Pl Ste 280 Stillwater MN 55082

Please then advise our Financial Coordinator Maureen Vruno of your stock gift, maureen@StJohnWilderness.org, so the sale and the proceeds requested..

Estate Gifts 

For an Estate Gift please contact the Treasurer. 

GIVING STOCKS

Giving Stocks can be an excellent way to support St. John’s and may save on capital gains taxes. Send your broker your written, signed, and notarized request to DTC transfer your specified number of shares of stock (s) [with each company name and stock symbol] from your brokerage account number and title to:​

Account Name: St. John In The Wilderness

Account 42723726

DTC 0280

105 New England Pl Ste 280 Stillwater MN 55082

Then email finance@stjohnwilderness.org to advise us of your stock gift, so we can order its sale and request proceeds.