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October 2022 Vineyard - Special Stewardship Edition

Monthly newsletter of St. Mark's Lutheran Church (Aurora, IL)

Monthly newsletter of St. Mark's Lutheran Church (Aurora, IL)

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The<br />

<strong>Vineyard</strong> Press<br />

ST. MARK’S LUTHERAN CHURCH<br />

SPECIAL STEWARDSHIP EDITION<br />

OCTOBER <strong>2022</strong><br />

Why we give<br />

From the very beginning, St. Mark’s has<br />

been a church committed to “Sharing<br />

Christ’s Abundant Love.” Our top five<br />

priorities, set in motion in 2016, reflect<br />

this and continue to guide us forward: in<br />

our communications and relationships,<br />

in our commitments to our youth and<br />

families, our community, and<br />

the poor and marginalized.<br />

During this special stewardship time<br />

of year, we pause for a moment to<br />

consider where we are and where we<br />

want to go. And we reflect on what it<br />

will take to get there. We have a vision<br />

for how we want our church to be, and<br />

the stewardship campaign asks each of us<br />

to consider our part in making this vision a<br />

reality.<br />

God calls us to give<br />

In scripture, Jesus calls us to love God and<br />

to love neighbor as self. God’s love isn’t a<br />

noun; it’s a verb. We come together and are<br />

sent out to share that love joyfully.<br />

Our financial gifts, our weekly offerings,<br />

our pledges . . . they answer the call God<br />

makes of us. Our gifts respond to the needs<br />

facing our community and neighbors. They<br />

serve our children, youth, and families.<br />

They continue the legacy of those who have<br />

gone before us. Our gifts are the tools that<br />

put love into action.<br />

Our church needs us<br />

For starters, we need a building to call home, a base from<br />

which to operate. That means paying the mortgage, the utility<br />

bills, and the upkeep. But St. Mark’s is so much more than a<br />

building! It’s God’s church. We are God’s community, centered<br />

and led by love.<br />

While our work starts with being responsible for our building,<br />

it expands exponentially as we serve each other and our<br />

neighbors. But none of this happens in a vacuum. It takes<br />

our volunteering, our skills, and our dollars to make ministry<br />

happen. That is our commitment: We choose to make mission<br />

and ministry possible by giving our time, talents, and treasures.<br />

Our community needs us<br />

The hurting, the lost, the unheard, the unengaged, the<br />

marginalized . . . they all are looking for a community to belong.<br />

St. Mark’s is that place.<br />

“For where your<br />

treasure is,<br />

there will your heart<br />

be also.”<br />

—Matthew 6:21<br />

We provide a space for everyone—no<br />

exceptions—to walk through our doors<br />

and hear, “God welcomes you, celebrates<br />

you, affirms you, and loves you.”<br />

Our neighbors need our love and care.<br />

We are continually discerning and finding<br />

ways to collaborate with local mission<br />

partners to serve the poor and marginalized. 365 days a year,<br />

we are making a difference.<br />

We all benefit!<br />

Giving isn’t just one way. When we give, we not only help<br />

others, but each of us benefits as well. We become part of our<br />

church story. We become part of the love we are sharing in the<br />

world. We become energized and filled will joy because we are<br />

sharing the abundant love and life of Jesus Christ!<br />

“On the day I became a Lutheran, I was<br />

given a box of offering envelopes with my<br />

name on it. Now I knew I belonged! Because,<br />

when you belong, you share your gifts. I<br />

started pledging as a promise that I would<br />

share my faith by sharing my time, talent,<br />

and treasure. It wasn’t a contract; it was a<br />

faith promise. It gives me great joy to know I<br />

have been able to keep my faith promises to<br />

all to my church homes.”—Pastor Marnie<br />

What part of<br />

giving fills you<br />

with joy?


Impact of your giving<br />

One of the great joys of giving is seeing the impact our gifts make. A child hears God loves<br />

them. A homeless person gets fed. A worship service re-connects us with each other and<br />

God. A burdened soul finds hope in the music. A Bible study brings new understanding. A<br />

neighbor moves into a new home. A student thrives with tutoring.<br />

These are the impacts we make possible when we share our gifts, This is how we make a<br />

real difference in real people’s lives!<br />

• For our youth to continue to have strong programs,<br />

we need you to volunteer your time on Wednesdays and Sundays.<br />

• For our worship to continue to help others experience Christ,<br />

we need you to give your talents to enhance the service.<br />

• For our mission to continue to serve our community,<br />

we need your treasures.<br />

Read and see how your time, talents, and treasures make an impact.<br />

Read and see how your pledges and offerings make a difference!


“Giving is not just about making a donation. It is about making a difference.”<br />

—Kathy Calvin, former President and Chief Executive Officer of the United Nations Foundation


Your giving makes ministry happen!<br />

Your gifts make St. Mark’s the church we want it to be.<br />

Real dollars make a real difference!<br />

To put your pledge into perspective, consider some of the ways your pledge dollars can be put to use.<br />

WORSHIP<br />

&<br />

MUSIC<br />

CHURCH<br />

LIFE<br />

Your pledge of $50/month<br />

can make it possible to offer<br />

Adult Education Hour<br />

Your pledge of $350/month can<br />

pay for our worship supplies<br />

Your pledge of $200/month can<br />

pay for our festival musicians<br />

OUTREACH<br />

Your pledge of $400/month<br />

can cover the utility expenses<br />

for ESSE’s use of our building<br />

FACILITIES<br />

Your pledge of<br />

$500/month can<br />

cover our phone<br />

expenses<br />

Your pledge of<br />

$150/month can<br />

pay for our office<br />

supplies<br />

Your pledge of<br />

$100/month can<br />

cover our Rally Day<br />

expenses<br />

Your pledge of<br />

$200/month can<br />

pay for our Sunday<br />

School expenses<br />

YOUTH<br />

&<br />

FAMILIES<br />

Where do we go from here?<br />

The answer is in your pledge.<br />

During the “Coming Together in Joyful Giving” stewardship<br />

campaign, we’ve been hearing St. Mark’s story, seeing how<br />

we’re connected to each other and our community. Now it’s<br />

time to write the next chapter. Where do we go from here?<br />

The answer to that question is in your pledge. While we have<br />

an abundance of imagination and potential, our financial<br />

resources determine the kind of church we will be. As<br />

dreamers, we want St. Mark’s to keep growing, to see our<br />

programs flourish, our music groups expand, our educational<br />

experiences grow in impact. We want to be leaders in our<br />

community, to contribute to the larger ELCA organization.<br />

Yet the reality is, if we want more or expect more from our<br />

church, we need to be willing to provide the support to make it<br />

happen.<br />

Where do you see yourself in the next chapter of our story?<br />

Pre-budget presentation<br />

Sat, Oct 15 and Sun, Oct 16<br />

offered after each service<br />

We’re doing something we’ve never<br />

done before! Council and <strong>Stewardship</strong><br />

Team are inviting you to take a first look<br />

at next year’s proposed budget.<br />

• What are the needs?<br />

• What are the hopes?<br />

You’ll get a preview of how our pledges<br />

will determine how we operate in 2023<br />

and important information to consider<br />

as you make your own pledge decision.<br />

Plan to stay after the service on either<br />

Saturday, Oct 15 or Sunday, Oct 16 for<br />

this unique Pre-Budget presentation.<br />

(Sunday presentation will also be available via<br />

Zoom. See Friday email for link.)<br />

Watch for your 2023 pledge materials to arrive the week of Oct 17th!<br />

Pledge cards will be collected Oct 22/23 and Oct 29/30.

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