Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
--St. Francis of Assisi

Dear Friend,

As we enter another Stewardship season, and look forward to the joys of Thanksgiving and Christmas, we know that those of us at St. Francis are blessed.  Our church community thrives.  We’ve supported one another and survived a difficult year in the world without compromising our mission or our purpose.  And as we reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re going, the joy that St. Francis brings to all of our lives remains paramount.

Our parish continues to flourish thanks to the hard work, generosity, and commitment of its members.  We maintain two beautiful worship spaces—the Historic Church on Old Long Ridge and the Church and Assisi Hall on Long Ridge.  The parish has now paid for its new organ and, with the addition of Brian Frazier as the Minister of Music, a lively music program enriches our liturgy.  Our Sunday School is off to a successful start, and we are offering speakers on a variety of topics to enrich the intellectual lives of the adults in our parish.  St. Francis remains an active participant in the community. Through our outreach program we gave away more than $30,000, plus food, clothing, and countless hours.  We hold concerts, gatherings, and receptions, all of which bring us together as friends.  Most importantly, we continue to be a warm and diverse community where all are welcome.
           
The celebration of life and worship at St. Francis, however, is expensive.  Simply to maintain all that we enjoyed this year requires an increase in our 2010 pledges.  In part, this is due to the increased expenses that are all too familiar to each of us—heat, electricity, maintenance projects, snow removal—and in part it is because the ways in which we’ve expanded our vibrant worship community require additional funds.  Plus, the preservation of the status quo has never been enough at St. Francis.  We are a creative, energetic force—gifted by God for life and for ministry—and all of us want to imagine more. 
           
What is it to imagine more? It is, in part, a strong commitment to provide  outreach grants both locally and abroad, a commitment that fulfills our mission to those in need.  Imagining more is the recognition that a music program with section leaders, an expanded bell choir, and trumpets to ring in the holidays benefits all of our services, welcomes newcomers into our community, and makes worship even more celebratory. It also is the means by which we spread the good news and word of St. Francis not only to the parish, but also to the broader community, inviting into our midst more people and families who are in search of a spiritual home.  Imagining more is the fulfillment of our duty to maintain and improve our worship spaces, our buildings and grounds, not only for our worship and enjoyment but for those who will follow us.  It is a way to honor our Minister, who listens to our cares and prayers, and works tirelessly with us to make St. Francis be so much to so many.  Imagining more is to faithfully preserve what’s here as well as to realize the full extent of what’s possible. 

Several parishioners have shared publicly what St. Francis means to them and their families.  All of us must ask ourselves the same questions:  What is the place of St. Francis in our lives?  What does this community mean?  And can we imagine more?  As we answer those questions, we then must ask what we can do as individuals to help fund the ministry that we do together, and whether in this regard, too, we can imagine doing more. 

Thank you for your generous support in the past, and please support the life and work of St. Francis: Please consider a pledge that is as generous as possible.        

Sincerely,

Tim Butler
Stewardship Chairperson

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