Letter from the Stewardship Committee
And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces. Luke 9:16-17, NRSV
September 28, 2022
Dear Friend,
Stewardship is a year round program where we contribute our time, talents, and treasures. Now is the time of the stewardship year where we must focus on wealth. Each household has a different financial experience. Because of you, we can share our message of love with many, and this is the greatest gift!
Our campaign theme this year is More Than Enough, and it comes from the end of Luke’s version of the feeding of the five-thousand. Responding to Jesus’ call, the gathered crowd turns their pockets inside out, shakes out their blankets, rummages through their parcels to find enough to take care of the needs of the community. And what do they realize? That by the miracle of faith and the action of love, there was more than enough, an abundance of leftovers!
Our stewardship campaign is like that ancient story: each of us, contributing what we can, provides enough – enough to fund our operations and an abundance more to take care of our neighbors and plan for the future. Every gift is a miracle, a chance to change the world. And every gift is love, the kind of love that protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres, as St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians.
This year the Stewardship Team would like to challenge all of us to find More Than Enough. Last year we had 77% of the total number of giving units pledge a total of $277,401. Giving units include all of us who pledge and those who give to the church on a regular basis. What is pledged is a major portion of how our Finance Committee proposes a budget for the next year. Our challenge is to raise that percentage of pledging units to 80% of the giving units and increase all pledges, those from last year, and new pledges. Think what we could accomplish when we share our treasures with our church community and the community we live in.
Thank you for all that you do for Emmanuel, and for our community, our nation, and the world. Today we are asking you to consider what you will pledge to our Emmanuel community in the coming year to sustain our ministries and to serve our neighbors. Every gift of wealth, works, and wisdom goes toward our ministries and mission, and yours is essential to us. We ask that you pray with us as we launch our annual gathering of gifts and gratitude, and consider how you will contribute your gift of wealth. We hope you will return your pledge card by Sunday, October 30th.
In the spirit of love,
Your Stewardship Committee
Pledge Card - Please click here for a copy of Emmanuel's Pledge Card for 2023.
For on-line giving, please use the "Virtual Offering Plate" located on the homepage of this website.
Sunday Worship Services: 8:00 AM & 10:30 AM
Wednesday Services: 6:00 PM (Healing; in-person); 7:30 PM (Compline; on-line)