Stewardship
Stewardship is about helping God’s people grow in their relationship with Jesus through the use of the
time, talents and finances that God has entrusted to them. It is a way of life.
time, talents and finances that God has entrusted to them. It is a way of life.
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Giving 2021
This month we begin our annual pledge drive. There are pledge cards available for you to complete. Pledge cardsj will be mailed to all church members. The Stewardship Committee is comprised of Bob & Jean Steele, Rich Miller, Ed Moore, and Erin Zitz. Please approach any of them or a member of the Vestry if you have questions or comments about pledging. 
Holy Nativity depends on donations to sustain its programs and facilities. Each fall, during the annual stewardship drive, parishioners pledge to donate a certain amount of money over the next calendar year. The annual pledge drive raises general operating funds – the money that keeps the church doors open; pays worship, music and program expenses; and supports clergy and staff salaries.
Please consider making a 2021 pledge; the programs and activities Holy Nativity is able to offer depend directly on the generosity of our members and friends! |
Stewardship Letter
from Rector, Libby Berman October, 2020
“Our mission calls us to...provide for education, encourage spiritual growth, and share God’s bounty through outreach.” --Holy Nativity Mission Statement Dear Holy Nativity Ohana, As the vestry scheduled its next visioning meeting for November 7, I thought it was time for me to take a look at the planning work we had done in our first session. Last July, the vestry undertook a morning of “brain-storming,” thinking of efforts in line with our mission statement, above, that might ultimately be part of a five-year plan. We collected all of our best ideas and agreed to choose, when we met again, the most important and feasible among them. The vestry’s work was to make the plan; implementation could come later... When I reviewed the vestry’s list of “brain-stormed ideas,” I was incredibly pleased to see that, since July, we already had taken a step forward on almost half of the items on the list! I invite you to see that, since July, we have: (in the mission area “Provide for Education”) -Built on programs that invite partnership between church & school -Used our property jointly more often (in the mission area “Encourage Spiritual Growth”) -Continued to develop our capacity on ‘“Zoom” -Continued to diversity our worship and musical offerings -Increased programming for children -Sponsored Quiet Days -Offered more Christian formation programs (study, small group worship, etc.) (in the mission area “Share God’s Bounty through Outreach”) -Continued to send help to agencies in our area that need funding -Partnered with other churches And all of this in the midst of a pandemic and the earliest days of a new relationship between our church and school! Are you surprised? I was, at first, but then, I stepped back and thought about our situation more deeply. I believe that God has given Holy Nativity the gift of hope. People from all corners of our community have demonstrated a remarkable willingness to offer themselves when asked to lead, advise, or help this year. This desire to move forward and our measurable progress toward goals our vestry did not intend to codify until 2021 are, I believe, evidence of this gift working in us. We have prayed for and encouraged one another and worked hard this year because of our hope--our belief--that God intends to move us toward greater health and strength in the days to come. We also believe that God will give us the continued guidance and energy we need to accomplish our work. In addition to the three categories, above, the vestry named “Stewardship” as a further one into which our mission statement inherently calls us. At this time of the year, we turn our thoughts and prayers more intentionally toward the questions of what we are called to offer back to God, in response to our thanksgiving for our many blessings. My own spiritual life has been enriched immeasurably during this past year with you all, in spite of all the challenges the world has set before us. My increased pledge for 2021 will, I hope, reflect my gratitude for all that God has helped us build at Holy Nativity this year, as well as for the deep, internal sense of peace and calm that accompany me in these days. I pray for all of you, as you consider your blessings and complete the pledge card for 2021 that accompanies this letter. I am delighted, beyond what I can communicate here, to be among you in ministry and I look forward to all that our future together holds! In Christ, The Rev. Libby Berman, Rector hncrector@gmail.com |
