Stewardship for Saints & Scholars

We Need You: Volunteer for Our Campaign Team!

As you may know, we are in the planning stage of our combined capital campaign that will support both the diocesan Stewardship for Saints & Scholars effort and our own parish goals. These goals include growing our school’s endowment and addressing important maintenance needs at both the school and the parish.

To make this campaign a success, we have been recruiting our volunteer leadership team. We are looking for 50 to 75 parishioners (or more) to volunteer. We are thankful for those who have already said yes to being part of the leadership team.

As a volunteer (ambassador), you will be asked to reach out to just ten fellow parishioners. Your job is simple: answer questions, share why you support St. Thomas, and encourage others to get involved.

This is a great chance to serve our parish and make a lasting impact on the future of St. Thomas. If you would like to help, please contact our campaign manager, Steven Furuta, at sfuruta@steiergroup.com or call 563-505-2058.

Exciting News for Our Parish & School Community!

This is a time of great momentum for St. Thomas the Apostle Church and School. After much prayerful discernment and thoughtful preparation, we recently concluded a planning study to explore the potential for a capital campaign. This study took place from May through mid-June and gathered valuable feedback from parishioners and school families on proposed priorities identified by parish leadership.

I’m pleased to share that the results strongly support moving forward! More than 89% of survey respondents indicated they would financially support a campaign, and 31 individuals expressed interest in serving in a leadership role. These encouraging numbers reflect our community’s shared commitment to advancing the mission of St. Thomas.

The feedback revealed strong enthusiasm for addressing key maintenance and repair needs at both the church and school. There was also broad support for significantly increasing our school’s education endowment fund. Nearly 9 out of 10 parishioners surveyed believe that strengthening the endowment aligns well with the goals of the broader diocesan campaign—Stewardship for Saints & Scholars—which seeks to enhance Catholic education and parish life throughout the Diocese of Lansing. Our local campaign will be launched in concert with this ongoing diocesan initiative.

I extend my heartfelt thanks to the more than 170 households who participated in the study. Your thoughtful input will help shape our next steps. With the blessing of the diocese and the support of the St. Thomas Finance Council, we are excited to move forward.

In the coming weeks, parish leaders will finalize campaign goals, form a leadership team, and prepare communication materials to keep you informed throughout the process. We anticipate a kickoff in early September.

Please continue to pray for the success of this campaign, for our parish and school, and for all those who will take part in this important endeavor.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Bill

Learn More About the Stewardship for Saints & Scholars Campaign

Frequently Asked Questions

During our recent campaign planning study, many thoughtful questions were raised regarding our combined capital campaign, the proposed projects, and the broader vision guiding this effort. In a spirit of transparency and stewardship, we’ve begun to compile a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to offer greater clarity and provide helpful answers rooted in our shared mission. As a first step in this ongoing effort, we share the following:

What is a combined capital campaign?

Every parish will be participating in the Diocese of Lansing’s Stewardship for Saints and Scholars (S3) capital campaign. By fundraising for our local initiatives as part of the diocesan campaign, St. Thomas the Apostle will not only help support Catholic education throughout the area, but we will capitalize on the increased visibility and momentum generated by a larger-scale effort. Running a combined campaign can also help increase overall donor support that will help strengthen both St. Thomas and the wider Catholic community.

What will the S3 campaign help fund?

The Stewardship for Saints and Scholars campaign is focused on four key pillars:

- On Mission (35%): Attract, train, and retain faithful teachers and administrators at Catholic schools

- Affordable (30%): Build financial aid and tuition assistance to reduce cost barriers to Catholic education

- Accessible (15%): Expand services to children with special needs within the Catholic school system

- Local Initiatives (20%): This 20% is returned to St. Thomas to be invested in local parish-sponsored initiatives and other urgent, local needs

Who participated in the planning study?

Between May and June 2025, St. Thomas the Apostle undertook a comprehensive planning study in partnership with the Steier Group, a respected Catholic fundraising and consulting firm. The purpose of the study was to gather feedback and assess parish support for a potential capital campaign. More than 170 parishioners generously shared their thoughts and perspectives through a variety of means, including in-person interviews, in-pew response forms, mailed surveys, and online questionnaires.

How did St. Thomas determine the final goals and priorities?

Following the insights gathered from our planning study, we will move forward with a three-tier campaign approach. This structure allows us to meet our diocesan commitment, strengthen our school endowment, and address essential building maintenance and repair needs at St. Thomas. Each tier is designed to mark a clear milestone of progress, helping to build momentum and a shared sense of achievement as we work toward our overall goal. The campaign’s priorities and tiered structure were developed by parish leadership, including staff and lay representatives, and together they remain within the projected fundraising range, with a maximum goal of $3.3 million.

In the weeks and months ahead, we will continue to share more questions and answers, updates, and reflections about the campaign and the opportunities it presents for our parish family. In the meantime, we humbly ask for your continued prayers—especially for our campaign leadership and for the entire St. Thomas the Apostle community.

Past Updates

What Is Saints & Scholars?

Led by Bishop Earl Boyea, the Diocese of Lansing has boldly embarked upon an ambitious endeavor, driven by a noble and worthy goal: to support Catholic education vigorously and steadfastly across the diocese. The Stewardship for Saints and Scholars campaign reflects a sincere commitment to schools, families, and parishes, those who embody and model the values of faith, reason, and compassion in a rapidly changing world. In collaboration with parents and families, it is our sacred duty as Catholics to nurture and inspire the saints and scholars of tomorrow.

What is a combined capital campaign? Every parish will be participating in the Diocese of Lansing’s Stewardship for Saints and Scholars (S3) capital campaign. By fundraising for our local initiatives as part of the diocesan campaign, St. Thomas the Apostle will not only help support Catholic education throughout the area, but we will capitalize on the increased visibility and momentum generated by a larger-scale effort. Running a combined campaign can also help increase overall donor support that will help strengthen both St. Thomas and the wider Catholic community.

What will the S3 campaign help fund? The Stewardship for Saints and Scholars campaign is focused on four key pillars:

On Mission (35%): Attract, train, and retain faithful teachers and administrators at Catholic schools
Affordable (30%): Build financial aid and tuition assistance to reduce cost barriers to Catholic education
Accessible (15%): Expand services to children with special needs within the Catholic school system
Local Initiatives (20%): This 20% is returned to St. Thomas to be invested in local parish-sponsored initiatives and other urgent, local needs

Combining Our Efforts

St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church and School is considering launching a combined campaign as part of the diocesan effort to raise additional funds for several essential parish projects. Already, our parish will receive 20% of the funds raised toward our parish’s target to use for local initiatives. Once we reach our parish target, 100% of the excess funds raised will go toward our local projects. Our proposed local parish projects are:

Enhancing our endowment funds for teaching staff recruitment and retention programs
Boosting our student scholarship awards
Increasing financial assistance to better support our preschool and homeschooling families
Addressing vital building projects, including replacing the preschool roof, renovating the Parish Hall, and remodeling the rectory wall

Campaign Planning Study

On behalf of our parish leadership team, thank you to everyone who participated in the planning study for St. Thomas. Whether you took part in an interview, mailed in the survey, or completed it online, your time and input are deeply appreciated.

In the coming weeks, the Steier Group will be reviewing all of your feedback and preparing recommendations for Fr. Bill and our leadership team. These recommendations will help guide decisions about the capital campaign and our parish’s fundraising potential.

Once the report has been reviewed and a path forward is chosen, Fr. Bill will share the results with the entire parish community. Thank you again for your support and for being an active part of the future of St. Thomas.

Q&A on the Planning Study

I know you have questions regarding the study, so here are a few of the most common ones about the planning study process and what it could mean for our future:

Q. What is a planning study?

A. The study gauges support for the proposed projects and a potential major fundraising effort called a capital campaign. It lasts six weeks and will help identify possible volunteer leaders and set a financial goal should we move forward with a campaign.

Q. How will the study determine whether there is support?

A. The Steier Group will survey the entire St. Thomas the Apostle Church and School community as part of the planning study. The firm will compile your feedback and present it to our church and school leadership. We will then make an informed decision about the projects and a potential campaign. Hiring an experienced, professional development firm like the Steier Group ensures an effective, unbiased, and successful planning study.

Q. Why should we conduct a planning study?

A. Many churches use planning studies when considering a fundraising campaign. It is a wise first step because the study provides valuable information on how everyone feels about the proposed projects and a potential capital campaign. That information can also help customize a campaign that fits with the unique needs of our parish and school.

Q. What is a combined capital campaign?

A. A combined capital campaign is a fundraising effort for big projects and needs, such as major renovations, new buildings, boosting endowments, and eliminating debt. It is run in concert with a larger campaign (in this case, the diocesan Stewardship for Saints and Scholars campaign). Capital campaigns fund specific projects and needs. They are not for regular, ongoing costs like salaries and utility bills.

Q. How can parish and school members participate in and support the planning study process?

A. We ask only for your feedback and prayers during the study. You may be asked to take part in a personal interview with a member of the Steier Group team or to fill out an online or mailed questionnaire – both of which should take less than an hour. Your input will help us make wise decisions about the projects and a potential campaign. If we move forward with a capital campaign, you will be invited to participate in a variety of ways over the next few weeks and months.