Diet Here I Come! Anyone who’s been around me knows that I complain often about needing to lose weight. Yet in the same breath I complain about needing to lose weight, I’m also most likely pausing to chomp down on a cookie or some dessert. That’s my world. Unfortunately, my actions in the diet world don’t ever seem to catch up with my words. I often think all I need to do is turn the “diet thing” into a game and I’d be far more ahead; that’s why counting points with Weight Watchers works for me. But then people sabotage my efforts when they say, “Oh, you don’t need to lose weight!” My standard response is simple: “Black hides it well.” But truth be told, the real reason for losing weight at this time of year is so that I can make needed room for all the cookies and desserts I anticipate eating during the holidays! This is serious business! But you know you need to lose weight when ….

Our family gathered one Sunday a few weeks ago at the Leo’s Coney Island on 23 and Card. My family will laugh because while I’m good at watching what I eat at meals, it’s all the snacking beforehand or the desserts that get me in trouble. We just finished eating and had gathered outside for our goodbyes. Our goodbye rituals take a long time unless it’s raining, snowy or cold and then things get sped up quickly. As I was waiting for everyone to finish hugging and yapping with each other, I leaned up against the back side-panel of my Acadia. As I did so, the panel got pushed in. I immediately stood up straight and the panel popped back into place right away. The sound of the panel getting pushed in and then popping back into place was loud enough that all in the crowd started staring at me. One of my sisters then piped up, “WOW, looks like it’s time to go back on Weight Watchers!”

Capital Campaign Update: I wish to thank all those who have contributed to the Capital Campaign thus far. As of November 13 (with the early bulletin deadlines because of the holidays, I’m writing this article on November 14), we have a total of 405 families who have contributed to the Campaign thus far. With pledges from those 405 families we are currently at 63% of our goal. We currently have $1,267,670 in pledges towards our $2,000,000 goal. If you haven’t turned in your pledge card yet, please do so soon. I would be really happy if we were able to reach our campaign goal by Christmas. Blank pledge cards are available in the Church and also at the Parish Center.

Some people have asked when payments should start. Because pledges are still coming in, you may wish to consider December or even January as your start month; it’s up to you. For many, a January start date may make it easier to remember quarterly or semiannual payments. I highly encourage you to fulfill your pledge payments electronically by using OSV’s Online Giving (please note we are NOT using Faith Direct for the Capital Campaign) You can get to the OSV Online Giving site by clicking the Maintaining God’s House button at the top of our homepage (www.sjascs.org) or by going there directly at https:// www.osvonlinegiving.com/4719. There you can set up your pledge payments and payment frequency as you wish. You could also consider setting up a recurring payment scenario through your bank or online bill pay software. You simply need to note that the check is for payment towards your Capital Campaign pledge. For those who indicated they wanted to receive a monthly “invoice” or mailed reminder, those statements will be generated starting in January.

Stock or Mutual Fund Gift Transfers: Several parishioners have inquired about making stock or mutual fund gift transfers to the parish. Please take the following steps to make a gift of stock or mutual fund transfer to the parish (for example for the Capital Campaign): 1) provide your broker with the following Archdiocese of Detroit (AOD) account information: a) investment firm: Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. b) name of the account: Archdiocese of Detroit. c) account number: 272108385. d) transfer ID (DTC #): 0015. Most importantly 2) contact the Accounting Services Office of the Archdiocese of Detroit (AOD) at 313- 237-5825 or [email protected] to notify the AOD of the stock transfer and provide the following information: a) name of the company/stock and ticker symbol, number of shares and date of transfer. b) state that St. Joan of Arc Parish is to receive the proceeds from the stock sale/donation. c) your name and address, so we can properly acknowledge your donation and provide you with a donation statement for tax purposes.

Please note: due to privacy laws, brokers are not authorized to share your name with the AOD, so the AOD will be unable to identify that SJA is to receive the proceeds unless you contact them and provide the above information.

It would also be helpful if you sent an email to [email protected] and/or call the Parish Center (586-777-3670) with the same information so that we can follow through to make sure the transfer occurs as you wish.

Thank you again for your extraordinary generosity to the Maintaining God’s House Capital Campaign. Your generosity allows us to make necessary repairs to our aging buildings and thus preserve what has been handed on to us!

Enjoy the week. Know of my prayers.

In Christ,

gmb
[email protected]