‘Tis the season!
Dear First Pres SLO Family,
Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus. Sometimes it’s good just to say that—to be reminded that the name of Jesus is a source of grace and peace for all of us.
‘Tis the season!
No, not that one, not just yet. It’s Stewardship Season, one of my favorite times of the year. It’s our chance to talk about time and money, and the ways our sharing of both will help accomplish the ministries God is calling us to do.
Think about all the things our shared giving does. It pays for the program and support staff, for the ways we reach out to kids and youth and adults, for the ministries we support in our community and around the world, and for the care and tending of our property. Our shared giving supports the work we do together in a tangible way.
But it’s not just the staff doing the work! You are the hands and feet and heart of this ministry, and so it’s important during Stewardship Season to remember that your pledges of time and talent are essential to us doing, well, anything.
Over the next weeks you’ll hear about different areas of ministry as we talk about pledges for 2023. In coming Sundays we’ll talk about adult Christian education, children and youth ministries, and our music programs. On November 19th we’ll pray over the pledges (and the pledges still to come!), and commit them to God’s service at First Pres.
I hope you’ll take some time to pray and reflect about your pledges to First Pres. I’m doing the same—it would be wrong for me to ask you all to do something that I’m not willing to do! I’m thinking about increasing my own pledge by 10% for next year, partly to deepen my commitment to our ministries, and partly to adjust for the increased cost of just about everything.
Remember that this Sunday is our Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan service, with a chance to remember the members we’ve lost in the past year. The message will be on Psalm 42.
Until then, blessings and peace to each of you!
Pastor John