At Hope Church, we make connections all the time. We strive to do the right thing and make the world a better place. Thankfully, we do not work alone. God is always already present, offering us a hand. As the saying goes, charity starts at home; and this year Hope Church has truly been blessed. God has generously provided for us, taken care of us, loved us. We are assured of God’s continual love.
As we move forward, let us remember the gifts that God has granted us on the way. May we offer thanksgiving and find ways to connect with others as God has connected with us. Let us consider how we – as both a community and as individuals – can love God and neighbor in response.
“God has reconciled us to God through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.” -II Corinthians 5:18
This October we plan to follow an informational and budgeting process similar to last year:
- You will receive a copy of the 2014 budget in your stewardship mailing later this month.
- With an understanding of the proposed budget, you’ll be asked to prayerfully consider your financial support for 2014. We will dedicate our pledges during worship on Stewardship Sunday (November 10). If you cannot be present for worship that day, you can mail your pledge forms to the church office by that date.
- On December 8th, there will be a brief congregational meeting following worship when you will have an opportunity to ask any questions about the draft budget for 2014.
- On January 19th, there will be a Congregational meeting to act on the 2014 budget.
- God is faithful to us in both celebration and in times of need. We know that there are needs that all of us confront day-to-day, and we are grateful for the generous giving of each member of our congregation.
An important part of our stewardship effort is to estimate and project how much the congregation will be called to give next year. The pledges are very important because pledges are the baseline our church uses to determine our plans for the next budget year which begins in January.
Please make your stewardship commitments in a spirit of celebration knowing that your gifts will be used wisely to enrich our connections with God, and with neighbor, and with the world.
-The Stewardship and Finance Ministry