ST MARTIN-IN-THE-FIELDS

E  P  I  S  C  O  P  A  L     C  H U R  C  H

 

 

 

November 2, 2008

 

Dear Friends,

 

I am delighted to have the opportunity to write the final Stewardship Letter in this five letter series.  I’ve enjoyed and have been encouraged by the first four.  Thanks to those writers for their sharing.

 

Paula and Andy and I arrived on Grand Island in October, 1987.  Paula was five months pregnant with Chris at the time.  I figured that we’d probably be here somewhere in the neighborhood of six years.  Two weeks ago marked our 21-year anniversary.  That shows you what I know about God’s plans for us!!  From our perspective, we’ve stayed here because we love St. Martin’s and we love Grand Island.  I suppose that, from God’s perspective, we’re still here because God continues to call me to serve here.  From our perspective, that’s a great combination.

 

What is it that I love about St. Martin’s?  It’s the people.  For example, when my mother died in 1991 and my father in 1993, you all were wonderful in surrounding me with God’s love and consolation.  I can’t imagine what it’s like to go through those sorts of losses without having a community such as this.

 

Worship of God on Sundays is such a joy.  There are lots of folks, including lots of children and youth.  I always know that we can try something new on occasion, and the congregation will not be in revolt!  And speaking of youth, we at St. Martin’s are blessed with a fantastic array of young people with an incredible amount of talent.  Having the opportunity to make two trips to the Holy Land with some of them has been truly a blessing.

 

There’s so much more I could say.  As I write this, I’m just back from Diocesan Convention.  It’s an opportunity for me to brag about you to the rest of the Diocese.  We may not be the biggest place in our Diocese.  Be we are one of the healthiest, and one which is thriving.

 

So I give thanks to God for my many, many blessings at St. Martin’s.  Part of my thankful response is to support the parish with my pledge to St. Martin’s.  I would invite you to do the same.  A pledge card accompanies this letter, and some instructions are on the reverse side of this letter.

 

Blessings to all of you.

 

 

 

(The Rev’d) Earle C. King, Jr.

 

 

Pledge Card Enclosed

            Enclosed you will find a Pledge Card for 2009.  Your Stewardship Committee asks you to pray about your blessings, and to consider how you might respond to God’s blessings with your 2009 pledge.  Most all of us, I believe, have some understanding of how blessed it is to give.  We’ve experienced the joy of helping someone in need, or in giving to a cause greater than ourselves.  We willingly give back to God some of what he’s blessed us with – whether it’s our time, or our talent, or our treasure.  When we do this, we discover that we’ve grown spiritually as Christians.

 

 

Proportional Giving

On one side of the Pledge Card is a table for proportional giving.  We would ask you to consider proportional giving, if you’re not now doing that.  There’s a logical basis for proportional giving.  When the income of a proportional pledger goes down, his/her giving can go down accordingly and the proportional pledger won't have to feel bad about reducing his/her giving below the original pledge.  They're a proportional pledger/giver, after all.  Of course, we'd invite people who pledge and then receive more income in the next year than they thought they'd receive to increase their giving proportionately, because their income has gone up.  If you’re reluctant to pledge because you’re unsure of what your income will be for 2009, proportional giving is just the answer – simply adjust your giving proportionally by your income. 

 

 

Fill it out

            Please complete the Pledge Card.  Instructions are included on the card.

 

 

Send it in, or bring it in

            Part 1 of the Pledge Card goes to the Church.  Please bring it with you to Church on Sunday, November 9, which is Stewardship Sunday.  Or, please mail it to the Church at your earliest convenience.

 

 

Needed to plan the 2009 Parish Budget

            As is the case with all of us at home, your Finance Committee and Vestry need to have an idea about the anticipated 2009 income so that they can plan a realistic budget.  Just like you, we need to be good stewards with the resources which the Lord has given to us.  Therefore, it is very important for us to receive your pledge card for 2009.

 

 

Thanks so much

            On behalf of the entire parish, thanks for your timeliness and your generosity.  May the Lord continue to bless you in your service to him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2587 Baseline Road ¨ Grand Island, NY 14072-1656

Phone/fax:  716-773-3335 ¨ padreking@aol.com ¨ www.StMartinsGI.org

Rector:  The Rev'd Earle C. King, Jr. ¨ Bishop:  The Rt. Rev'd J. Michael Garrison