Greetings St. Andrew’s Family,
I address you on behalf of the Stewardship Committee, which includes all of us! It is with great excitement that, as we come to the end of the calendar year, we can reflect on our positive momentum at St. Andrew’s. Maybe the greatest stride we have taken in recent months is the return of the children to our Sunday school and seeing their bright faces during worship. In addition to that, the return of the choir and joyful prayer through song has been a most welcome return to our services. I am so very gladdened to see familiar faces at our church once again and am grateful for your support with our latest endeavors and activities. I think the chicken barbeque, and events like it, are here to stay!
Through the parish survey, you have had the chance to offer your thoughts and opinions on the direction of the church. Most overwhelmingly, people have expressed a desire for a full-time rector, a full-time Christian Education position and the return of the fun programs that bring us together in laughter and fellowship. We on the Vestry could not agree more with what the congregation wants and are excited to map out the coming year and overall direction of the church based on your input. The great news with all these plans is that it is entirely within our control to make it happen! The difficult part is that it is also largely based on our annual budget.
One of the biggest reasons we make such a push for pledges at this time of year is so that we can confidently set our budget for the coming year and allocate the funds according to the needs of church and parishioners. As you are probably well aware, we have been blessed with financial assistance from the Diocesan relief fund in order to keep us functioning during the recent difficult times, however we are now getting back on our feet and it is time to get back to more than just staying afloat. In the 12 years I have been a member of St. Andrew's, I have seen our St. Andrew's family rise to the occasion to ensure our church thrives. When we are a healthy church, we can offer many opportunities to learn, worship and have fun together while we celebrate the Christian faith. At this time in our long history, St. Andrew's has come to a moment that some may view as challenging, but I view it as a tremendous opportunity to rise out of 2021 stronger than ever and ready to make lifelong memories for our children and ourselves as we get back to the business of following Christ’s path. It will take a village to get St. Andrew's to where we want to be, so I ask you join me and be a big part of that village!
God Bless,
Jeff Herrera
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