2023 Stewardship of Gifts Booklet - Chapelwood United Methodist Church

Chapelwood United Methodist Church
Stewardship of Gifts
2023

in 2022
2,298
Average weekly worship attendance
online and on campus
2.5m
Digital connections
“As you go, proclaim:
‘The realm of the heavens has come near.’
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers,
raise the dead, cast out demons.
Freely you have received, freely give.”
Matthew 10:7-8

Dear Chapelwood family,
In Matthew 10:7-8, Jesus says, “As you go, proclaim: ‘The realm of the heavens
has come near.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out
demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”
We live in a divided world, a world that desperately needs the example of Jesus.
At Chapelwood, we focus our mission on the life, words, and ministry of Jesus:
Jesus the Visionary, Jesus the Healer, Jesus the King, and Jesus the Teacher.
Chapelwood is a community that is all about Jesus, and desires to be active
Christ-like examples to our families, our community, and our world!
Each year in January, we invite all members and supporters of Chapelwood
to join us in committing to financially support the ministry of the church. As
members of the Body of Christ, we commit our prayers, presence, gifts, service,
and witness to the church. We ask everyone to prayerfully submit an Estimate of
Giving that reflects your financial commitment for the year. Estimates of Giving
are important for two reasons: First, putting pen to paper is an important spiritual
tool for our own growth as we make our financial commitments to God that lead
to intentionality in our generosity. Second, estimates help Chapelwood to plan
for our mission and ministry to the world in 2023. We budget based on your
generosity.
We are coming out of challenging times, but God is revealing new horizons in
ministry. We are excited about raising up families by equipping parents, students,
and children. We are excited about transforming our neighborhoods through
loving and serving our neighbors. There is a need for all of us to rededicate our
lives as followers of Christ and Chapelwood will work to equip all of us to be
examples of Jesus for the world.

Please pray about what God is calling you to give to the kingdom ministry
through Chapelwood for 2023. Once God gives clarity, please complete
your Estimate of Giving for 2023 by filling out the attached estimate card and
returning it to Chapelwood by mail or in the offering plate by January 29, 2023.
You may also complete your estimate online at chapelwood.org/2023estimate
or use the QR code below.
Join us in January for our “Freely Receive, Freely Give” sermon series. We will
share the vision God is giving Chapelwood related to the mission and ministry
before us in 2023!
In Christ,
Dr. John Stephens
Senior Pastor

Friends,
Chapelwood is an extraordinary place where people find deep relationships, put
down generational roots, and find themselves on a journey of transformation that
changes everything!
Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the
world by embodying God’s grace as we receive it to those who need it. And
grace is not just an aspiration of our community; it is an experience of Divine
Presence that we encounter as we worship, as we serve alongside each other,
and as we fall in love with the world that God loves. Grace compels us towards
nurturing our own inner vulnerability (which often looks like telling the truth about
ourselves!) and to leaning towards the vulnerability that we see in the world. It
is grace that truly “leads us home.” This grace compels us to take the hand of
those in the world, to collaborate with partners in Spring Branch, Greater
Houston, Central America, the Middle East and Africa, and to partner towards
the transformation of the world.
The community of Chapelwood can be found embodying grace through tutoring
kids in reading and math, rebuilding homes that have been destroyed by flood
or fire, creating scholarships for the next generation, supporting hospitals and
orphanages around the world, loving refugees, hosting recovery meetings,
mentoring youth, visiting the sick, and supporting those in need. We have
nurtured partnerships that impact families from “Pitner Road” in North Spring
Branch to those living on “Unnamed Road” in Maua, Kenya.
On the following pages, you can see some of the amazing statistics that reflect
the impact we are having and hear some of the stories of those who you serve
among.

I am so grateful to be a part of this community that has sunk its roots deeply into
the love of God and reaches towards the world in that same manner. We swim in
an ocean of Grace.
In Christ,
Dr. Matthew Russell
Executive Pastor

Brad
Brad Gowan shares his story.

370+
Hospital visits
1125
Prayer cards sent
“It was awesome to know
throughout my recovery
how many people at
Chapelwood were praying
for me. I would hope that
anyone going through
something like this would
have a community praying
for them.”
225
Homebound visits
624
Hours of Stephen
Ministry care

Through Fair Haven Food Pantry:
68,000 People fed (20,400 children)
500,000+ Pounds of food
“When we go out and
leave our comforts behind
and go after what God’s
heart is going after, I think
that renews the passion
and love of Christ that He
has for people all over the
world.”
$339,000 Given to local ministries
$210,000 Given to global ministries
158 Families provided rental assistance

the Rios
Joseph and Riqisha Rios share more.

the Fenns
The Fenn family’s story
“We’ve really enjoyed the friends we’ve made.
The kids have made their own friends. It’s great to
be a part of a community and to know these families.
Chapelwood makes it easy because there are a lot of
opportunities to get involved.”

20,509
Meals served
50,000+
People greeted
182,710
Event hours
1,768
Hospitality
connection calls

the Frosts
35 Baptisms of children under age 3
40 Adult small groups

Hear from the Frosts.
“Chapelwood
has been a rock.
Chapelwood keeps
me grounded
and helps me
understand how to
love people and to
meet people where
they are.”
15 Weekly Twelve Step groups
120 Worship attendees each month at
Treemont and Buckingham retirement
communities

Dear friends,
For the past fifteen years, I have served as Chapelwood’s Business Manager,
overseeing the church’s finances, budgets, buildings, equipment, and assets.
From this vantage point, I am blessed to see how the many stewards of the
church work together to support our ministries. As members, each of us has
promised to support Chapelwood through our prayers, presence, gifts, service,
and witness. And I am privileged to see how over time our people grow in these
acts of stewardship.
Young couples have children and begin to serve in Children’s Ministry. Their
giving grows over the years as their income grows, and their understanding of
generosity grows. Their witness becomes more powerful as they gain more
experience in a life of service to Christ. They become more present as they find
opportunities to serve, share, and learn. Others of us have been on the journey
for many years, experiencing the ebbs and flows of life: celebrations, sorrows,
praises, prayers, and a community where we can be there for each other as we
follow Jesus.
Now, as we turn the page on 2022, it is natural to self-examine where we are in
our walk with Jesus and in our stewardship of what has been entrusted to us.
Friends, I ask you to join me prayerful consideration, to discern where you have
been on your journey and how you will be led in 2023.
In Christ,
Bob Lindsey
Business Manager

A Breakdown of Our
Congregation’s Annual
Giving in 2022
165
Households
$1 - $499
annually
184
Households
$500 - $999
annually
316
Households
$1,000 - $2,499
annually
229
Households
$2,500 - $4,999
annually
195
Households
$5,000 - $9,999
annually
97
Households
$10,000 -
$14,999
annually

9
Households
17
Households
$100,000 +
annually
46
Households
$15,000 -
$19,999
annually
36
Households
$20,000 -
$24,999
annually
44
Households
$25,000 -
$49,999
annually
$50,000 -
$99,999
annually
Where does your contribution fall on this chart?
How is God inviting you to take your next step in giving?
“Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not
reluctantly or under compulsion...”
2 Corinthians 9:7

Chapelwood
Please complete your Estimate of Giving for 2023 by filling out
the enclosed estimate card and returning it to Chapelwood by
mail or in the offering plate by January 29. You may also learn
more about Chapelwood’s ministry impact and complete your
estimate online at chapelwood.org/stewardship
or using the QR code below.
11140 Greenbay Street
Houston, TX 77024
chapelwood.org/stewardship