Dear Friends,

As I return from sabbatical, my heart is both heavy and hopeful as I share the financial realities before us. I am deeply grateful for the partnership with our Board of Trustees, who continue to discern how best serve the churches of our diocese and how, through their actions, the Office of the Bishop can better serve you.

I write today to share a manageable and meaningful step that the Board has already approved for 2026: a 2% reduction in apportionment across all tiers.

Apportionment reform remains a top priority for the Board. This change lowers the maximum rate from 17% to 15%, aligning with what all dioceses are expected to give to The Episcopal Church, and affirming a central truth: our congregations are our priority. This decision supports the sustainability of our parishes, especially those faithfully serving in challenging times.

For years, the Board has wrestled with how to balance fiscal responsibility with our sacred call to nurture every congregation. Together, we have weathered crisis after crisis:

• In 2020, we provided $1,150 Covid response grants and Zoom subsidies.
• In 2021, we returned over $500,000 through apportionment gifts to all churches.
• Exempted PPP loans as well as the apportionment gifts from Apportionment payments.
• In the past two years, we created a sustainable agreement for resource stewardship at The Center at St. Matthews. Partnering with St. Matthew’s Mission, we strengthened community outreach through a large food bank and adult education for immigrants. As a result, St. Matthews has become financially self-sufficient, transforming from diocesan supported to an income-generating ministry.

We know the anxiety that can come when pews are sparse and budgets are thin, because every dollar represents a ministry, a meal shared, a prayer offered.

That is why this 2% reduction matters: it puts tangible resources back into your hands now.

Here’s what lowering 2% across all tiers looks like in our diocese for 2026:

• 6 churches will save over $10,000 each, 
• 11 churches between $5,000–$10,000, 
• 23 churches between $1,000–$5,000, 
• 21 churches up to $1,000

These are resources that can sustain essential ministries and help keep our churches running smoothly. This is not a final solution, but rather a faithful first step toward apportionment reform, rooted in the conviction that a thriving diocese flows from thriving congregations.

The Board remains committed to this ongoing conversation, holding both accountability and compassion as we discern God’s path forward together. I ask your prayers for continued wisdom as we steward these resources, and your trust that the same God who guided us through pandemic and wildfire will light our way now.

The Board stands ready to listen, adapt, and serve, because our calling is not to preserve budgets, but to proclaim the Gospel in every community we touch.

Yours in Christ,

The Rt. Rev. Megan M. Traquair

Bishop