STEWARDSHIP: JOURNEY TO GENEROSITY

Our stewardship campaign theme this year is Journey to Generosity.  For each of us, the decision about whether or not to make a commitment to pledge financially to St. Margaret’s is a journey, as is the process of deciding how much of our treasure we can commit to the church for the year. It is not always easy to make these decisions, especially when there are so many obligations competing for our resources; mortgages, utilities, credit cards, tuition, and the list goes on.

This is the time of year when we must pray and reflect on all that we have in our lives, given to us through the generosity of our Lord God. Can we give back as generously as we receive? I really hope we can.  In order for St. Margaret’s to support a priest that cares for us pastorally and spiritually; maintain the beautiful church and grounds; have programs for our congregation; and support ministries that reach out to the community, we need your financial commitment. (You might be surprised to know that the pledge commitments we received last year were not enough to cover the church budget for 2017.) 

How many times have you heard someone say, “St. Margaret’s is such a special place”?  People are drawn to the warmth and love they feel when they come to St. Margaret’s. Jesus’ love lives within 

the people that make up the St. Margaret’s community, and that love is very evident to others. I know we want more and more people to have a “St. Margaret’s experience.” Our collective giving to support the work of this church will help make that happen. Please pledge to give as generously as you can to St. Margaret’s for the coming year. I found these excerpts from the Stewardship Prayers of the People meaningful:

Leader: Each day, challenge us to live up to your vision of generosity, kindness, challenge and forgiveness.

People:  We commit to this journey to greater generosity, inviting all into our com-munities of faith, forgiving all who have offended us, and sharing our resources with the church, our community and the world. Amen.

We will kick off our stewardship campaign on Sunday, Oct. 15, and our annual ingathering service will be Sunday, Nov. 5. You may put your completed pledge cards in the collection plate at any time during our campaign. 

Your generous giving is essential to our ability, as a congregation, to grow and thrive!

In God’s love,

~ Kim I., on behalf of the Stewardship Committee