Annual Stewardship Campaign
Dear Community Church Members and Friends,
A sentiment heard regularly at our church, voiced by everyone from first-time visitors to retired clergy, is, “I’ve never been in a church like this before.” They may be talking about the genuine sense of welcome to all, the combination of social justice work and deep spirituality, the openness to questions, doubts and different points of view, or the church’s moving and interactive worship. Whatever the signs, extraordinary things are happening at Community Church as we share God’s love for the world in a range of ways.
The vitality of Community Church is owed in significant measure to a series of talented and dedicated pastors, including our much-beloved Pastor Dave. However, the foundation of the church’s vibrant ministry and outreach is the community that we’ve created. We recognize that every person walking through our doors is a gift and a blessing to the congregation. As we move into the last year of Pastor Dave’s ministry, and launch our search for his successor, we are using the phrase “Thriving in Community” to describe the church at this moment. As co-leaders of the Stewardship Campaign Team, we hope you recognize the gifts of time, talent, and treasure that sustain our community and its mission, and ask that you commit to sharing financial and other resources with the church as you are moved and able.
Elsewhere on this website you will find a good deal of information about all the activities that your giving supports, as well as data on recent patterns of giving and spending in the church. We hope you will find those materials helpful. Our goal, as in recent years, is to receive all pledges for 2027 by Thanksgiving. That will allow the Stewards Ministry to prepare a final budget in ample time for a congregational vote at January’s Annual Meeting.
As you consider your pledge for the coming year, please bear in mind that prospective candidates for our next pastor will use the church’s financial health as one indicator of its potential for active, committed ministry. Viewed that way, two of the most important processes shaping the church in 2027—the stewardship campaign and the pastoral search—are closely linked. In recognition of that connection, house meetings are planned to discuss the congregational profile that is the initial step in the pastoral search, as well as address questions and concerns about the search process or the stewardship campaign. We hope you’re able to attend one of those meetings.
Finally, thank you to all of you who have supported the congregation financially in the past—and special thanks to those who elect to make their initial pledge in 2027! At a time of unprecedented environmental, political, economic, and social challenges, the work and life of Community Church could not be more important. Helping the congregation thrive not only benefits us individually and collectively; it sustains the broader community and testifies to God’s love for all people and all of creation. Amen and Ashe!
Gratefully,
David Sietz Linda Tatarczuch Chuck Hotchkiss
Co-chairs, Stewardship Campaign Team
