Stewardship for 2024
We will gather and bless our pledge cards on All Saints’ Sunday, November 5
They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit
- Jeremiah 17:8
Letter from the Wardens
Letter from Mother Tori
Some of the most important words we say in Church are “thank you.” Today I thank you for the many gifts that you share with St. John’s and the wider community. I have the honor to see the wider picture of how our church impacts the world, as well as know the individual gifts and sacrifices the members of St. John’s make to achieve the larger goal.
The passage from Jeremiah has been chosen to put words to the image of each of us being rooted in God, nurtured by the gifts God gives us, and connected with one another. Trees are miraculous and beautiful, and as Jeremiah describes them also able to share their abundant fruit for others to use to grow. That describes each person at St. John’s, and St. John’s as part of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, and our Diocese as part of the wider Church universal.
If we think about how trees grow in the woods with a network of roots, it becomes apparent that it is these roots that keep the trees in place, that allow them to grow and share as they do, while all the time providing stability to the surrounding area. The theme of our 2024 pledge campaign is Rooted in Abundance as a way to remind us that we are a mighty network grounded in God. Together we are ancient trunks, sprightly saplings, and everything in between. We, each and together, are contributing our gifts to a world that needs us.
Our intentional effort to ground ourselves in God, share our resources with one another, and produce bountiful fruit blesses others while serving as a powerful witness to living in faith as God’s beloved. Thank you for sharing what God has abundantly given you!
In Christ’s Love,
Mother Tori
The theme this year for our stewardship campaign is “Rooted in Abundance”. We find this theme particularly meaningful because it describes the strong and steadfast nature of God’s Church, and how we naturally share our gifts from God with one other.
Our pledges of money allow us to not only maintain the good health of St John’s, but also to provide for the ever growing needs of our community. For example, at the beginning of 2023, after prayerful discernment, the vestry decided to team up with St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Spring Valley. St John’s not only provided financial help to their Feeding Ministry, many parishioners from St John’s have also been actively participating in their Community Dinner program. In addition, St John’s also donated much needed books, backpacks, and other school supplies. God loves each of us unconditionally and stewardship time is when we can show our gratitude for His love and for all of the blessings we so abundantly receive.
Our giving tradition at St. John’s is appropriately defined by how we share all of our gifts, not just our finances. A church needs new ideas, creative people to lead, musicians who enhance worship and tech ministers who make it accessible, faithful people to set and clean up our altar, volunteers who keep our ministries focused on our neighbors, and more. We need people offering their time and abilities, as well as funds, groceries, new school supplies, etc. Whatever your gifts are, St. John’s is blessed because you share them.
In Mother Tori’s recent letter to us, our priest talked about how trees are connected via their root structures, sharing resources with each other through those underground networks. In this year of being in leadership ministry with you, we have witnessed the ways in which you communicate with each other to get things done, and it all happens so wonderfully because you are each deeply connected to each other through your roots of faith, love, and service.
We thank you this year for the ways you have shared your gifts with us – your wealth, your works, and your wisdom. Please respond by using the invitation provided to you with Mother Tori’s letter and let us know what gifts you would like to share with us for next year’s ministry. Thank you for your generosity, once again.
In gratitude,
Scott Dow and Dong Zhang, St. John’s Wardens
Prayer over Pledge Cards
Gracious and loving God, giver of all that is good, life-giving, and true,
we thank you for all you give to us. We offer you these pledge cards for
the year to come as commitments of our hearts and labor to your
Mission, honor, and glory. We ask you to bless them to your use and us
to your service, in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.