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.