October 2016

To Our Good Shepherd Family Members,

To kick off our Fall Stewardship Campaign, we must first say “Thank you!” for your continued support of our parish and its ministries. Together, we have accomplished many works within and outside of our parish to the greater glory of God. In the past twelve months, we have remodeled many of the rooms used by our youth, completely rehabilitated the bathrooms downstairs, brought Christmas joy to impoverished children in Camden, supported the local food pantry, and many other missions that “make things happen” throughout the region.

We are a parish of “doers.” Why do we do these things? The answer is often “because they need to get done.” We see this in 2 Timothy, God gave us “a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” We ask that you think of these words as you consider your gifts to Good Shepherd. These three ideas of power, love, and self-discipline can inform our gifts of time, talent and treasure. You decide how you can best support the parish and its mission. You decide what to give, how to give it, and where you can best contribute toward the future of this parish we love.

One of the aspects of stewardship is finance. During this Fall Stewardship Campaign we are asking you to consider how you can contribute in this aspect. An Estimate of Giving card is enclosed. We ask that you prayerfully examine your gift. Our combined gifts empower the Vestry to build our budget for 2017 and decide what projects we can accomplish. The Fall Campaign will close the last weekend of October with Wine and Cheese following the evening service on Saturday, October 29th and our traditional Soup Lunch after the morning service on Sunday, October 30th. The Vestry is hosting and everyone is invited! Please return your card by mail or email, bring it with you to one of the celebrations, or simply leave it in the offering plate by October 30th.

This letter is specifically for those of you who prefer to consider and make your pledge in the fall. If you have already pledged for next year, this committee, your Vestry, and the rest of your fellow parishioners are very grateful. Thank you!

At Good Shepherd our “spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline” provides great joy as we come together to give our time, use our talents, and gift our treasure to do God’s work.

Together in Christ,

The Stewardship Committee and Vestry of the Church of the Good Shepherd