Rejoice * Grow * Reach out * Be glad
Pledge & Passions Card
Dear Friends in Christ,
At a recent church council meeting, the person responsible for our opening devotions told us that she had flagged several Scripture passages in her Bible as she considered possible themes for our meditation. We smiled as she held up her Bible to show us all the post-it notes sticking out of it - her way of marking the various passages! Then she said, “But after all that searching for just the right Bible verse, I returned to one I have known since childhood: Psalm 118:24. "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” She continued, “That verse says it all! God has given us the incredible gift of this day to be the church in this world. And how can we be anything but joyful and glad for such a gift!” She smiled and sat down.
Gathered in the beautiful, late afternoon light of the sanctuary, we all realized we had just heard a stunning proclamation of the gospel! While it is true that St. John’s has been impacted by the economic recession, that St. John’s has changed in character and size since “the good old days,” and that St. John’s continues to face the unique challenges of our location downtown, God has given us this time and this place to be the church.
- In this time & this place God continues to raise us to new life through the Word and Sacraments!
- In this time and this place God continues to enrich and draw us deeper in faith through liturgical worship, study, and the arts!
- In this time and this place God continues to call us to serve our neighbors, here and on the other side of the globe!
Therefore, we have taken as our stewardship theme this year that beautiful verse from Psalm 118 and added a few words to guide us through our emphasis month of October:
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice…
grow…
reach out…
and be glad in it!
As you give prayerful thought to your financial commitment to St. John’s for 2010 – as well as how you will share your particular gifts and passions through our ministry – we challenge you to rejoice in God’s amazing grace, to grow in your financial commitment, to reach out with your particular gifts & passions, and be glad for God’s mercies that have sustained this community of faith for 145 years! We want you to know that our goal is to have 500 Estimate of Giving cards returned on Celebration Sunday, November 1, 2009, and we have an additional goal to add 50 households to the Simply Giving program.
Please give careful attention to all of the material that accompanies this letter. Do not hesitate to contact us with comments and questions. And plan now to share your commitment during our All Saints Celebration Sunday, November 1, 2009.
Thank you for all that you do to make God’s love known!
Pastor Rachel Mithelman
