Dear Friends in Christ—
Good news seems scarce these days, and so it is meet and right to celebrate it when it appears.
Here’s some really wonderful news: we have surpassed our $719,000 pledge goal for 2022.
This means three things:
First, it means we can fund our hopes for the coming year. We can operate as the church we
want to be. There’s still room to grow, of course, but we can move ahead with carefully made
plans for staffing and programs as the vestry approves our budget later this month.
Second, it means that we are healthy. Despite the ongoing stresses of COVID, this community
has remained committed to one another and our mission, and we are willing to put our
material resources behind our spiritual commitment.
And third—it means we are not done with stewardship.
What?
Number three might be a surprise to you. But stewardship is more than shorthand for the
pledge campaign. Stewardship is a way of living as Christians the entire year.
Some churches will use other words—discipleship, for example—to describe this constant
attention to our how we order our commitments. Whatever the language, it means the same
thing: we are always looking to see the implications of our faith on how we live and where we
serve.
This coming Sunday we celebrate the baptism of Jesus. Our liturgy highlights the themes of
identity and purpose that we will hear for the next two months as we live through Epiphany.
Who am I, really? What should I be up to in this world? How can I use myself for God’s good?
As we find our way through omicron and, I hope, out into a new beginning, these questions are
urgent. The world needs the talents that each of us has to bring to it. And—this church needs
You.
Grace should not be run by a few people in the know. This church should reflect all of us—our
quirks, our ideas (brilliant or otherwise), our hopes, our experiences, our talents, our histories.
Grace doesn’t just need your pledge. Grace needs YOU.
And if you’re not sure what the next step is? Give me a call. I’m glad to help you think about it.
Yours in Christ,
Anne+