Annual Giving Campaign 2025–2026
Be the Light: Make Love Real
Welcome to the 2025 Annual Giving Campaign! Our theme: Be the Light: Make Love Real! This theme is both a statement of our values and a call to loving action. There is no better time, no time more deserving than now, to show how we can answer this call in our daily lives. As we go through our campaign season this year, please pause from time to time to think about how we, collectively, are as a church, and how each of us, individually, is fulfilling the promise to “Be the Light: Make Love Real.”
This year we are exceedingly pleased and grateful to have John and Florence Mercer as our Annual Giving Campaign Honorary Chairs. What better couple to honor as FRSUU heads into its 300th anniversary year? The Mercers and their families have been an essential part of this church for more than seven decades, serving in many different capacities. Their steadfast leadership and ongoing dedication to FRSUU have been a bedrock of our community, so it seemed fitting to honor them as we celebrate 300 years of Being the Light.
You will hear numerous times during this Annual Giving Campaign that everyone’s participation in the campaign is critical and that all of our contributions are key, no matter what the size. Please take this to heart. Through the Annual Giving Campaign, FRSUU’s congregation provides 67 percent of the funds needed to open the doors on Sundays (and every other day) for church services, programming, music, Young Church, justice work, and the many other kinds of groups and events that are welcomed and nourished here at FRSUU.
We are blessed to be part of a loving and Beloved Community. None of us can do this alone. Together, we will “Be the Light and Make Love Real.”
To read the 2025-2026 Annual Giving Campaign brochure, click here.
To submit your 2025-2026 Annual Giving Campaign pledge form, click here!
Please take a moment to fill out our NEW! Joy and Fellowship Opportunities Form.
Why Should I Pledge?
Many of us have a general individual or family budget that we spend against as we go through our year. FRSUU has a budget, too, that the Parish Board creates annually and that the congregation approves at each Annual Meeting. This annual budget is based on FRSUU’s financial needs, not only to operate our buildings and grounds, but also to offer the myriad programs that we all share. FRS relies on your pledge to know we can meet our financial obligations, continue to turn on our lights and heat, offer our Sunday services, and run our Young Church and other programs.
What is a Pledge?
A pledge is a commitment to support the church. Your pledge is the amount that you expect to be able to give to the church during its next fiscal year, from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. We know that financial and personal conditions can change during the year. If you need to adjust your pledge upward or downward during the year, you can call the church office and convey that amount to Diane Carroll, our Church Administrator.
Who Should Pledge?
Ideally, each of our members and active friends will pledge as they are able. We are in this FRSUU family together, and we rely on each other as we work toward achieving our Mission and Values within our church community and in greater Newburyport.
How Much Should I Pledge?
Though financial situations are different, we hope that all members and friends of FRSUU will make contributions meaningful to them. Last year, the average pledge was more than $2,100, and pledges ranged from $100 to more than $25,000. However, a pledge of any amount is deeply appreciated. We will need a combination of increased and new pledges to achieve this year’s goal. Every gift is valued and important.
