Beloved People of God,
Thank you. Thank you for your demonstration of appreciation for Pastor Andrew, Pastor Herb, and for me. Thank you for supporting the Dr. Robert E. and Carol S. Roth Environmental Education Endowed Scholarship Fund in my honor. The fund is a scholarship our family established to support students in the School of Natural Resources, where my father was a professor for thirty years. The fund will help provide support for students pursuing field education and for internships. Again, I say thank you, I appreciate you.
Thanks, and appreciation. That will be a key theme throughout November. We begin the month with All Saints Sunday, giving thanks and sharing appreciation for all the saints who have entered the Church Triumphant.
With thanks and appreciation in mind, we will also hear James’ call to plan faithfully and live generously. James asks the question, “If you could ask one question about the future – and get an answer - what would it be? What would you want to know?” Most of us wonder, and many of us worry, about the future. James encourages us to do something St. Stephen has done for years, to plan faithfully by remembering who and whose we are. You and your future belong to the Lord. Because of that good news, we can live a life in a community where abundance and generosity abound!
Our Support Team has been hard at work aligning our St. Stephen Strategic Plan with our current and future mission goals. In 2025, we hope to be able to hire both a part-time Youth Director and a new Visitation Pastor, knowing it will be very difficult to replace Pastor Herb. The Support Team is also faithfully planning for the reality that there are everyday cost increases including insurance and general utility costs. The Support Team is also hopeful because of our congregation’s value of gracious generosity and how our congregation demonstrates its thanks and appreciation for all of God’s gifts.
With this plan in mind, the Support Team encourages us all to prayerfully consider growing our giving by 2%. So, if you gave $25 per week in 2024, you would give $25.50 per week in 2025.
We are inviting you to prayerfully consider a faithful response. Soon, you will receive a letter with an estimate of giving card enclosed for your use. By completing the card, you will gratefully respond to God’s blessings and touch the lives of others through our ministry. You will help our children and youth grow in their understanding of God’s love and strengthen our ability to be a place where God’s love lives. Your response will also assist leaders in planning our ministries more effectively in the months ahead.
Thank you for your prayerful consideration. You are appreciated!
God bless you,
Pastor Bruce