A message on Stewardship!

On November 15th, we will celebrate Stewardship Sunday.

Stewardship Sunday November 15th

Stewardship

Beloved Parishioners,

As much as we would like to hold on to the warm summer days, Fall has come! We are in October and in a few weeks we will begin talking about Thanksgiving. This also is traditionally the time when we begin to think about Stewardship.

There are many ways in which non-profit organizations handle this rather difficult but absolutely necessary topic. As usual we at Grace will ask two to three Parishioners to speak about Stewardship from their own experience and perspective. It helps all of us to better grasp the challenges and the opportunities that this topic holds for our church and our lives. On November 15th, we will celebrate Stewardship Sunday. This will be the day when all Parishioners who seek to be in good standing hand in their pledge commitment to our beloved Grace Church. We hope that our Stewardship Tree will come alive again bursting with leaves and we will see Grace Church also grow and prosper.

We must keep in mind that Stewardship does not end with this one annual campaign during Fall, but has to be understood as an ongoing part of Christian life. Time, talent, and treasure are the three parts that keeps Grace alive. You and I -- we are the church and during this time it is our responsibility to nurture and  take care of this precious gift that was handed down to us generation to generation.

God will provide and bring the people as long as we are doing His work. As already discussed in a previous Newsletter, Grace is at a turning point in its history. We are revitalizing our beloved church and will turn the main focus of Grace towards community support and evangelization. Over time, this new focus will open up our church to the community. It is expected that new excitement and new life will emerge from these efforts. Thus, hopefully a new generation of parishioners will be available to join us in our ministries and in supporting and keeping Grace flourishing.

I am very excited about our new ministries and about the future of our beloved Parish home.

Please pray for Grace, please pray for me as I will keep you in my prayers.

God's Love and Peace be with you,

The Rev. Dr. Walter V. Hillebrand