October 2009
Dear brothers and sisters,
We write to you today about the needs of our church. This is certainly not news … you know the importance of this church and the importance of being faithful stewards especially in this time of transition in our congregational life. As we continue to do the wonderful work of ministry to which God has called us, we look forward to a future filled with hope. Yes, we face challenges but we also know that God is faithful and calls upon each of us to faithfulness as well to help meet those challenges.
Paul comments in II Corinthians on the rich generosity of Christians even in hard times. He lifts up the church in one part of the world that begged to be included in the gracious privilege of sharing in the gift for Christians in another part of the world. Listen to his words in chapter 8: “Now I want to tell you, dear friends, what God in his kindness has done for the churches in Macedonia. Though they have been going through much trouble and hard times, their wonderful joy and deep poverty have overflowed in rich generosity. For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford but far more. And they did it of their own free will. They begged us again and again for the gracious privilege of sharing in the gift for the Christians in Jerusalem. Best of all, they went beyond our highest hopes, for their first action was to dedicate themselves to the Lord and to us for whatever directions God might give them.” (NLT)
Giving came from setting priorities with the Lord … “their first action was to dedicate themselves to the Lord … for whatever directions God might give them.” (II Cor. 8: 5) The church in Paul’s time listened first to the Lord. And that is what we ask of you. We continue to put before you the challenge to give your time, your talents, and your treasure to God. Again and again, in these days of transition, people come to us to tell of their continued support and of their joy at being a part of such a strong congregation. We know that it is critical that the first priority of this congregation be to focus on the Lord … to dedicate ourselves to the Lord … to listen to the directions God has for us.
God calls us to be faithful stewards of all that we have. And even in hard times like these, we have been given much. God expects us to give. So listen to Him for the direction He has for you. You will be hearing witnesses on the use of time, talent and treasure and we pray that you will be challenged by them to discern God’s direction for you in the coming year. Session is beginning to carefully review the 2010 budget and maintains a high commitment to being faithful stewards of all that God provides. After severe cutbacks in the 2009 budget and successfully holding the line in spending, they are poised to move ahead. That said, many of the reductions taken in 2009 are not sustainable year over year and there are anticipated increases in administration, in property and in personnel that must be made hopefully without the need to reduce in other ministry areas. The news from the Finance and Stewardship Ministry Teams suggest that commitments of $1.4 M from 320 households are important targets for our stewardship campaign for next year. To accomplish these targets, those that made commitments for this year would, if possible, need to consider a 5% increase for 2010. Likewise, it would be help if members of the congregation who did not or could not make commitments of treasure last fall could prayerfully consider their ability to do so for 2010. This would help us plan and carefully attend to our programs and expenses.
Enclosed you will find pledge cards to complete after you have prayerfully considered how God is directing you to be faithful in your stewardship toward the ministry of this church. In addition, you will find an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) form which we hope you will consider using. The EFT helps maintain a balanced cash flow for the church and needs to be renewed only once annually rather than you remembering a weekly or monthly contribution. It also saves money!
Please join us in the celebration of our stewardship by returning the commitment cards in worship on November 8. Remember that during difficult times people rely more heavily on the church and her ministries/missions. The church is a gift of God’s goodness to you, to the surrounding community and to the world. And she needs your gifts to continue.
As always, we are grateful for the continued gracious support from so many faithful stewards of the ministry at First Pres Glen Ellyn!
In Christ’s Service and Love,
John Curphey
Joan McKenzie
