Newsbrief: Stewardship Sunday

This Sunday is Stewardship Sunday!

For the last few weeks we’ve heard countless folks’ response to our Stewardship Prompt, “I love my church because…” and this Sunday we will all have the chance to respond by dedicating our pledge cards!

Your pledge is your sacred promise to support this congregation that we all love so deeply with a portion of your finances in the coming year. Those pledge dollars help us as a church family to accomplish our mission and ministry in the world. Thank you for your generosity, your support, and your creative answers to our stewardship prompt! Please remember to bring your pledge card this Sunday so that we can bless them and pray over them together!

Speaking of generosity, I cannot thank you all enough for your amazing response to the CROP Hunger Walk. I’ve always believed that generosity begets generosity, and by did we see that at the East Valley CROP Hunger Walk. Including our online donations along with the cash and checks from last Thursday our congregation was able to raise over $1000 for Church World Service! The Walk itself was also a huge success with twice as many participants as last year, including a huge contingent from FCC Scottsdale (by our unofficial records, we had more folks there than any other church!). I’m overjoyed to announce that the East Valley CROP Hunger Walk raised $11,022 by the end of the Walk…and that donations continue to keep coming in! You can still send your support by visiting our Walk Website at www.crophungerwalks.org/eastvalley/

Thanks for your generosity! Thanks for your support! I’ll see you this Sunday…and don’t forget your pledge card!

Yours in the journey, Rev. Brian

Whiteboard: Stewardship Sunday

It is Stewardship Sunday!

Come join us at First Christian Church this Sunday as we celebrate the gifts of time, talent, and treasure that our members share with us in our community of faith!

Together we are able to do extraordinary things at FCC Scottsdale and on Stewardship Sunday we'll recommit ourselves to the mission and ministry of this congregation.

Our theme this year is "I Love My Church Because..." and for the last several weeks we've been filling in the blanks in that stewardship prompt. Join us this Sunday to share those things that you love about FCC Scottsdale and to support them once more in the coming year!

Don't forget to bring your pledge card with you. We will receive those pledge cards, bless those commitments, and dedicate them to the mission and ministry of Christ!

The Whiteboard this week is pointing to our scripture reading for Sunday. Our Gospel text comes from Matthew 25:14-30 and is better known as The Parable of the Talents:

‘For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, “Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, “Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, “Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.” But his master replied, “You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

2011 Stewardship Campaign

There are so many things to love about First Christian Church Scottsdale!

During our Stewardship season I want to know how you would complete the sentence “I Love My Church Because…”

How would you fill in the blanks?

“I love my church because of our lively, Spirit-led worship service.” 
“I love my church because of our abiding commitment to outreach.” 
“I love my church because we welcome everyone to celebrate communion with us every Sunday at the Lord’s Table.”
“I love my church because of the potluck lunches and Bible Study classes, the Prayer Shawl Ministry and Ms. Jesse in the nursery, our music ministries and the friendly people.” 

For the next several Sundays I have invited everyone who has a speaking role in our worship services (from the Elders and liturgists to anyone giving an announcement, and yes even me) to preface their remarks by introducing themselves and then completing our stewardship sentence. Some of the answers will be funny. Others will be poignant. Some will be short and simple while others will be paragraphs long. Imagine all the different answers we can share!

As you hear the multitude of ways people respond to our stewardship prompt I hope that two things will happen. First, I hope that you’ll think of all the things you love about our church. Second, I hope that it will encourage you to support our church with your time, talent, and treasure.

Stewardship Letters went out to all the members of FCC Scottsdale this week. Accompanying those letters was a pledge card for 2012. Your pledge is important. Our ministries happen because of the generous financial support of the folks who love our church so deeply. So please fill out the front side of the enclosed card with your pledge for the coming year, but before you do so flip the card over. You’ll find our colorful “I Love My Church Because…” logo on the back of the pledge card. On the lines underneath that logo I hope you will write in your own answer to our stewardship prompt. Share with us what you love about FCC Scottsdale and help us continue to make those things possible!

We’ll collect and bless all of the pledge cards in worship on Sunday November 20. I’ll see you then! In the meantime, I can’t wait to hear how you complete the sentence “I love my church because…”