Dear Chalice Lighter,

Thank you for your commitment to supporting the health of Pacific Northwest congregations through Chalice Lighters!  The recipient of the most recent (Winter and Spring 2019-2020) Calls was the Anchorage UU Fellowship. $28,830 was provided to remodel the church chancel to make it safer and more accessible.

This is your Fall Call for the 2020-2021 church year. It will help support PNWD congregations who are struggling to stay afloat in the wake of the coronavirus tidal wave.  On top of restrictions on meeting for worship and the challenges of pastoral care, many congregations are struggling to meet staff payrolls and mortgage payments.  We PNWD Chalice Lighters can help alleviate this need.  We want to ensure that our congregations retain key staff and emerge from “Stay Home, Stay Safe” restrictions able to continue the faith and justice work so sorely needed in our communities.

Your congregation may be one of those who need more help than its members are able to provide. If so, encourage your leaders to apply for a Chalice Lighter grant.  A special short-form “Chalice Lighter Congregation Sustenance Application” is available here. The form contains further guidance on award criteria. We will accept applications until the call closes, October 31, 2020.

Extension of time to qualify: In order not to unduly restrict which congregations can receive help, as well as to incentivize Chalice Lighter participation, your congregation has until October 31 to register the required number of Chalice Lighters and establish FY 2020 Honor Congregation status.

Please be generous!

  • Make a one-time gift of $20, $50, or $100 online at the PNWD giving page.
  • Mail your check, payable to “PNWD Chalice Lighters” to PNWD Chalice Lighters, P.O. Box 567, Brighton CO 80601. Include the PNWD-CL designation on your check and identify your congregation.
  • Donate to all three of this year’s calls now to save time later.
  • Choose to have your gift deducted monthly from your credit card or bank account using the PNWD automatic giving page.
  • Consider becoming a Chalice Lighter “Angel” by contributing an amount in excess of $1000.

Questions? Please contact pnwdchalicelighters@pwruua.org.  Thank you!

Sincerely yours,
David P. Cauffman, PNWD Chalice Lighter program coordinator
pnwdchalicelighters@pwruua.org   

Finer points: Direct costs to administer the call are reimbursed from the donations before the grant is issued. More of your money will go toward the grant if you opt for emailed call letters and make your contribution online.

P.S. Strengthen fellow UU congregations in your district who are struggling to survive the hardships of the pandemic with your Chalice Lighter contribution today!