Give Thanks, with a grateful heart
Some years, as we enter the Thanksgiving season, it is easy to give thanks – our family is healthy, our job secure, our world at peace. But for many of us, this is not that year. 2020 has been marked by a global pandemic, social isolation, economic insecurity, political divide and racial strife. These negative forces have forced us to reflect on the past, reconsider our priorities and cope with uncertainty. In these trying times, one thing has remained constant: God’s mission continues.
This is also the time of year when your church asks you to estimate your giving for the next year. Receiving your estimate of giving card allows us to plan and budget realistically for our work. This year has been especially challenging. The pandemic, the resulting shutdown of the economy and the closing of our doors to in-person worship for seven months, impacted the finances of our church, as our giving dropped off. We were able to secure government and foundation grants that helped us address the shortfall and make some needed improvements to our building. But it is only through the giving of our members that we are able to maintain our work and our worship.
If you are a regular tither, thank you. This congregation is grateful for you, and for the example you set for each of us on what it means to be a faithful steward. We hope that you will prayerfully consider the possibility of increasing your investment in the work we are doing here.
If you are a casual or occasional giver, we ask that you prayerfully consider challenging yourself to give in a regular and disciplined way. We promise you won’t regret it, and it will make a significant difference in what this church can accomplish.
We are deeply grateful for your place at Pleasant Valley. Together, with God’s help, we can face these trying and uncertain times and enable our church to do life-changing ministry in our community. Each of us will be challenged to take even bolder steps to invest in becoming the church God is urging and encouraging us to become. Will you accept the challenge?
