BELIEVE IN OUR FUTURE WITH HOPE
The Lord tells us in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah delivered these words when the future was bleak for the Hebrew people. Our Lord guides us and provides for us. We, as believers, need to believe the Lord will be there with us, providing his loving arms around us.
John Calvin is facing a new future—one that we can shape. We have made it a core mission to serve others. We provide facilities for the Playschool, anonymous groups, and other faith communities. We provide lunches for the homeless several times a year through Program of Hope and we have our food pantry for those who come to us in need. We want to continue supporting all of these programs and any future programs that the congregation may choose. The church, like you, has continued to experience increases in costs of insurance, utilities, maintenance of the buildings, and basic maintenance supplies. The Session has been working hard to optimize revenue and trim costs.
Planning our annual budget for 2025 depends upon the revenues received. YOUR annual pledge helps John Calvin prepare for the upcoming year and hopefully, many more years to come. Stewardship Sunday is October 27th. Your time, your talents, and your money not only grow the ministry of the church, but they also allow you to spread God’s love and provide a peaceful blessing of faith to yourself. Stewardship is really about returning to God what was a gift to us in the first place. Luke 12:48 tells us “To whom much is given, much is expected.”
Please prayerfully consider your pledge for 2025 and, if you are able, increase your giving from this past year. We request that you return the pledge card by October 27th or go on-line and complete it there. We would appreciate a reply from everyone even if you are unable to pledge at this time.
As faithful servants of Christ, the Stewardship Committee