Every pledge campaign begins with Gratitude. I am inspired by your generosity – by the grand acts that you have accomplished this year, by the single acts of love and kindness, and by the unseen work you have done in the service of God and our church community. Thank you, I cannot say it enough. Our pledge campaign this year focuses on our gifts; not just on the things we wrap with paper and bows, and not the things we put in envelopes or give from our bank accounts, but all of the gifts that we give throughout the year. We frequently talk about the three-legged stool of Time, Talent, and Treasure when we discuss our gifts, without really focusing on the power of each of those elements. I am grateful and aware of the ways in which you have given all three, and today I want to focus on your time. Time, they say, is the greatest gift, because it is a gift that we can’t replace. When we give of our treasure or our talent, they come from renewable streams, to some extent. But time, once given, can’t be taken back, reclaimed. This is why I am inspired by the ways that you give of your time to this community. Whether these gifts of time are measured in hours spent running a ministry, participating in our services, or volunteering in the community, or in minutes spent on the phone or in person reaching out to each other, taking care of each other, this community is generous with its time! In his timeless work, The Little Prince, Saint-Exupéry says, of the Prince’s tending of his beloved rose, “It is the time you have spent on your rose, that makes your rose so important.” Our church is that rose, tended gently and blessed abundantly by the effort, love, prayer, and time you give to us. In this season where we uphold our gifts, You are a gift, each of you, and you are gifts to each other and to a world in need of our love; certainly blessed with every perfect gift that comes from God above. Please fill out a pledge form. Pledge forms will be available at the church on September 5. The pledge form is also available online. Once you have filled it out, please email it to [email protected]. ![]()
0 Comments
8/26/2021 0 Comments Haiti EarthquakeThe scene in Haiti right now is devastating… After a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck on Saturday morning, at least 5,700 people have been injured, 30,000+ people lost their houses, hospitals and churches have been reduced to rubble and at least 1,300 people are dead. That death toll continues to climb.
|
Instead of buying your own copy, check out your local library for your next read. Libraries are valuable community centers, and chances are you'll only read the book once - no need to purchase every copy for yourself! If you like using e-readers, the Libby app allows you to borrow books from the library digitally. |
What if we entered into a challenging conversation beginning from a place of values? How might recognizing shared values diffuse tensions and lead to productive solutions/resolutions? Want to learn about the Episcopal Church’s role in Civil Discourse? Join us (the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin) on Wednesday evenings, 5:30pm-7pm, July 7-August 4 RSVP to get the ZOOM link: [email protected] To get a sneak peek on Civil Discourse check out: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/07/ogr_civildiscoursecurriculum_full.pdf |
St. Michael's Episcopal Church News Items
News for St. Michael's and the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin
Archives
July 2024
May 2024
March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021