GIVING WITH GRACE -2011 Annual Giving Campaign
All Saints Day 2010
Dear People of Grace,
Throughout your life, what are you responsible for? I am certain that you have a lengthy list of both mundane and extraordinary duties. Now, what about your Christian responsibilites? What are you responsible for because of the very nature of being Christian? That list of obligations begins to grow when we bear in mind the great prayer of Teresa of Avila:
Christ has no body now but ours, No hands, no feet on earth but ours, Ours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world. Ours are the feet with which he walks to do good, Ours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world. Ours are the hands, ours are the feet, Ours are the eyes. We are his body.
As the Church, as the Body of Christ, we have a faithful responsibility to care for the many things entrusted to our care. For this corner of Christ‟s Kingdom we call Grace Episcopal Church that means maintaining our community. Not just in the sense of the up-keep of our houses of worship, but for continued funding of our mission and ministries. Anyone can give to a charitable organization, but as Christians we are reliant on the Church to be the visible and physical imprint of our God in this world. And that is a very good thing!
When I look around, I see that our Church buildings and even the concrete and grass we tread upon have been given to the Church by our parishioners for God‟s work. Every light bulb and fixture, every Sunday School leaflet and youth group meeting, every pew and BCP, every communion wafer and sip from the chalice; each of these things are given by you to the glory of God for the ministry of Grace Church. This place was not built by angels but was built thoughtfully and deliberately by the sacrifice and vision of the people of Grace.
This year, under the advice of the Stewardship Committee, we have chosen a goal of $200,000 for our giving campaign; but even that is a minimum. I challenge you to not think about just “breaking even.” What if we were to give lavishly beyond our imagination? Deliberately and with vision, how best we can implement and make this House of God thrive, grow and soar? How would that lavish giving compare to the love shown to us in the life of Jesus Christ?
Giving to the Church is not a bill and it is not an entrance fee, but there is a reality to our life as Christians: we are obligated to give back a portion of our monetary gifts in thanksgiving for the blessings bestowed on us by God. Grace Church needs your financial support; there is no doubt!
You might say, put your money where your mouth is, Fr. Josh! Currently my family‟s gift to Grace is not always easy for us, but I will also say that for the coming year we will be significantly increasing our pledge to Grace Church. Not as a sign of proud piety, but out of LOVE. My family and I love this church and the school and this faith community—its past, present and most important its future.
I have hope and a vision for what we can accomplish as the people of Grace. For the first time in four years you have a full-time rector who is here to lead and to guide. Our Christian education programs are expanding. Sunday attendance is up by nearly 50% from a year ago! Our ministries and outreach continue to soar through Grace Day School, the Thrift Shop, and the new pastoral assistance from our deacon, the Rev. Elizabeth Belasco. Likewise throughout our diocese, the Diocese of Long Island, great things are being done through the ministry of our new bishop, the Rt. Rev. Larry Provenzano. There is truly a palpable energy that is ready to put „new flesh onto old bones‟ as the Prophet Ezekiel once said many years ago! Let us be intentional about our ministries; let us have VISION.
All that it takes to implement these things is your gift. Our giving is a small way for us to give thanks to God for the innumerable ways in which we have been blessed and for the ways in which our Church has enriched our lives. What other institution on Earth cares for you from birth to death and every point in-between? What other organization receives you no matter who you are? What other organization feeds you spiritually and nurtures you from cradle to grave?
I know that we can count on you to make God‟s mission and ministry happen. I have faith that you will fulfill your vow to God and seek to repay God and the Church for the Good things they have done. Let me end with these questions: If not you, who? If not now, when?
God‟s Church needs you now for we are the people of Grace.
Faithfully, your rector and friend,
The Rev. Joshua D. Walters
 |  |