Five Years To Zero

December 15, 2014

Join us as we strive to retire OLG's debt and free us to vastly improve our ministry efforts. With your help, we can reach this goal by 2019.

UPDATE MID-DECEMBER 2014
The Five Years to Zero campaign is almost over. We’ve almost attained our goal that will help eliminate the parish mortgage sooner which will positively affect the Parish and the School and we are the only way it is going to happen.

Parish Goal: $775,000
Current Pledges: $630,000

So how can you help us attain the parish goal? We are asking for a monthly pledge amount for two years beginning in January of $10 or $20 a month for 24 months. Is that too much? If you can’t afford to participate, then please verify your address, write $0 in the Total Pledge Amount, card in an envelope and place and it the OLG Pledge Box in the Gathering Space. Only the Parish Accounting Office will open the envelope and view what is on the pledge card.

Thanks,
Meredith and Steve Hotchkiss
Fruitful Harvest Co-Chairs

UPDATE MID-NOVEMBER 2014
To date, over 100 parish households have made a commitment to the FIVE YEARS TO ZERO Campaign, for a total of more than $517,000 toward our campaign goal of $775,000. If you have not made your campaign commitment, please pick up or drop off your pledge card this weekend at the tables near the parish office. You are also invited to make your annual parish stewardship pledge using the tri-fold card provided. Thanks to all who have already made their pledge of support for this campaign.

FIVE YEARS TO ZERO is Our Lady of Grace?s Financial Campaign to help retire our parish?s debt of over $3,000,000 in the next five years.
The sooner we can retire our debt, the sooner we can use the funds now being applied to our monthly mortgage payment for the essential necessities of our parish.
Being debt-free will allow us to staff our parish more effectively to meet our growing parish ministry needs.
Although our parish assists low-income people and families in many ways, but there would be more ways for us to respond to the Gospel mandate to serve the poor, if we had no debt.
Retiring our debt will allow us to address anticipated capital needs such as a new roof or parking lot paving, and present needs such as an upgraded P.A. system in the Worship Space.
Planning responsibly for the future will be more of a possibility if we aren?t paying for the past. Paying off our parish debt will enable us to put money in the bank.
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The FIVE YEARS TO ZERO campaign is dovetailed with the diocesan Fruitful Harvest campaign, which takes place every two years and provides funding for the operation of the diocese, including education for seminarians, clergy, and lay ministers; Catholic campus ministry at Purdue, Ball State, and Wabash; the marriage tribunal; Hispanic Ministry in the diocese; and more.
With the two campaigns being conducted together, we will be able to address our diocesan responsibilities as well as raising funds toward debt retirement in the parish. All funds raised by our parish in excess of our Fruitful Harvest goal will be returned to the parish and allocated to debt retirement.
Together we can work to ensure a thriving parish for generations to come! Please prayerfully consider a generous gift to the FIVE YEARS TO ZERO campaign !

What are the numbers?
FIVE YEARS TO ZERO Financial Goal:
Diocesan Fruitful Harvest Goal: $375,000
Parish Debt Retirement Goal: $400,000
Total FIVE YEARS TO ZERO Goal: $775,000

Our Debt Retirement Plan:

Our current monthly mortgage payment is $17,500. We pay an additional $12,500 on the principal, bringing our monthly payment up to $30,000.
Funding for additional payments (beyond the $30,000/month) comes from
- Fruitful Harvest/FIVE YEARS TO ZERO donations,
- Monthly debt reduction envelopes or Faith Direct payments, and
- Donations provided by members of the Our Lady of Grace Legacy Society.
Assuming sufficient funding from these three sources mentioned, we can retire the debt by December 31, 2019.

How you can be a part of FIVE YEARS TO ZERO: Pledge cards will soon be available to all parishioners. You are encouraged to consider a sacrificial gift, given over the payment period of 24 months (January 2015-December 2016). Consider 24 monthly payments of

$1000 for a gift of $24,000
$500 for a gift of $12,000
$250 for a gift of $6,000
$125 for a gift of $3,000
$50 for a gift of $1,200
$25 for a gift of $600
$10 for a gift of $240

These levels are guidelines. You may make payments in larger or smaller amounts, on a monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual basis, and one-time gifts are gratefully accepted.

We need multiple gifts at all these levels. No gift is too small, or too large.

We invite sacrificial gifts. Look at the levels suggested above and find your comfort level: At what level can you give comfortably? Then, consider this challenge: Can you move to the next level (or to something higher than your comfort level) to give, not comfortably, but sacrificially?

We invite the participation of all parishioners. The higher the level of participation, the more the responsibility is shared, and the greater the possibility of success.

Help us to reach our goal of being a debt-free parish by December 31, 2019. Make your pledge to FIVE YEARS TO ZERO!