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2010
Stewardship
$4.38 weekly upgrade
Dear friend,
We appreciate your commitment and continued support
of our beloved Church
of
St. Luke and celebrate
that you are part of our Church family.
With the challenging 2010 budget approved by the
faithful at the November General Assembly, St. Luke’s is faced with a
budget that requires all of us to tighten our belts, reduce spending and
reach deeper in our pockets to meet our 2010 ministries; in other words,
to respond in faith.
The Parish Council has done its part by responsibly
providing a budget which has been trimmed where possible, which has
removed all increases, but which allows for the Church to minister, at
the levels we expect of Her. St.
Luke’s will of course remain committed to Her strong ministry to our
youth, elderly and the many groups She has under
Her wing, including the 24/7 ministry we
provide.
In order to meet the
needs of our ministry; a mere $4.38 a week or $19 a month at the minimum
increase in stewardship would be required by our faithful.
This upgrade or increase comes at a time when we are all feeling
the effects of the economy; but just as we can upgrade our other needs
(pizza night, round of golf, movies, internet, phones, cable, etc); we
surely can deem it necessary to upgrade the stewardship to our Church
which offers us priceless ministries.
The minimum “$19 monthly
upgrade” to St. Luke’s will
secure the Church and allow Her to remain a refuge, place of solace,
house of worship, the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, our spiritual
hospital, a home for our adult groups, and indeed, a safe haven for our
children to participate in fellowship and spiritual growth.
It is not as much a
question of “can we do it,” as much as it is a question of “do we have
enough faith and love to do it.” The truth is some will need to give
about $19 more a month; others will be able to increase their giving by
$40 or more as we all have different needs and resources.
God knows our heart and blesses
us when we give joyfully; let us allow Him to guide us.
With every obstacle that
St. Luke’s has faced in the past, you, the faithful, have risen to the
occasion, met the challenge and gone above and beyond in meeting the
Church’s needs. It is that faith in what we can do as a family, united
with the person of Jesus Christ, which has made us the pillar of
Orthodoxy in America.
It is your faith that will take us to the next level of spiritual
awareness and growth that will allow St. Luke’s to continue to be a
community of faith, love and stewardship in every aspect.
With brotherly love in
Christ, I ask that we each consider prayerfully the needed
increase in our 2010 stewardship commitment, and our faith commitment to
Christ and His Holy Church.
Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions or
concerns regarding your sacred Stewardship Commitment.
Respectfully I remain in His Loving service,
Rev. Father Christ Kontos, Protopresbyter
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