Plymouth Magazine-Fall24-DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 8
What is “Our Giving Story”?
By Chuck Offenburger (he/him)
In our services this late-summer and fall at
Plymouth Church, we are learning from
stories. We are reading, hearing, analyzing
and sharing stories – our own, those of our
neighbors and those we find in the Bible.
It seems fitting then, that the theme of
Plymouth’s new stewardship campaign,
which begins at services the weekend of
Sept. 21-22, is “Our giving story.”
What, how, why and when do we give?
How much of our time, talent and treasure
can we afford to contribute? How do
we measure up in what we give today,
compared to what those who came before
us gave for this historic church? Can we
continue the spiritual and social leadership
Plymouth has provided Des Moines and
much of Iowa for more than 165 years?
“There’s an old saying that goes, ‘You live
toward what you love,’ ” says Plymouth’s
Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Jared Wortman.
“If I could summarize Plymouth’s
giving story, I’d say the community at
Plymouth ‘gives toward what they love.’
At Plymouth, we love one another, the
genuine community and belonging, and
our ongoing legacy of enacting justice.
People often support Plymouth because
they’ve caught the vision of how our
multifaceted ministries make a difference
in their lives and in the lives of others.”
Debra Ledesma, who as chairperson of the
Board of Christian Stewardship is leading
the fall campaign for the first time, has
another nice perspective on all that.
“I’ve been at Plymouth for 30 years,” she
said. “When I think back to the 1990s
and early 2000s, I think of how big and
strong the church was then. At least that’s
the way it seemed to me. Like 3,000
members. A lot of well-to-do people.
When there was a financial need, there
were always people who’d step up with
the support needed.
“Now it’s different. The traditional
church has changed. We don’t have
quite as many members, but we have a
whole lot going on here. So we have to
recognize when it’s our time and our turn
to financially support all the things we
believe in and want to accomplish here.
Debra Ledesma, Board of Christian Stewardship Chair
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“All the good that Plymouth Church
does, it doesn’t just happen. So, how do
we make sure that everybody understands
that? How do we make sure the people
can see the real value in what we’re
supporting? 30 years ago, I’d be looking
around for one of those important
people in the church to come support us.
Now, I’m realizing, ‘Oh, wait – I think
I’m now one of those people who has to
do this.’ ”
All Plymouth members will receive a
mailing the week of Sept. 16 with details
of the stewardship campaign, and an
“Estimate Of Giving” card to complete
and return – in written form or online.
You can see the rest of the campaign’s
schedule in a sidebar with this story.
Pledge totals have grown each of the past
three years, so Ledesma and her board are
hopeful that pledges for 2025 will top
the $1,819,198 of 2024.
They’ve been told that the Plymouth
Foundation will probably provide a
matching fund of $125,000. That will be
used to match first-time and increased
pledges, up to a total of $125,000. The
foundation has also offered matches in
2023 and 2024.
“There’s no doubt that when we’ve had
those matching funds available, people
have increased their giving,” Ledesma
said. “That motivates people. They know
their pledges will count even more.”
Serving on the Board of Christian
Stewardship with Ledesma are Alissa
McKinney, Robb Hill, Lee Konfrst,
