Love, Hospitality and Using God’s Gifts
Pledge card is at the bottom of the page
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8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:8-11)
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Dear Congregation and Friends,
We stand on the cusp of a new year and a new world. How will we enter that year and that world as Christians in San Jose? This theme creates a vision for the year. It is a call to action. Love, Hospitality and Using God’s Gifts. While that is the sound bit of the theme, there is a lot that underlines this theme. There are two parts to our stewardship campaigns: 1) the call to action and 2) the pledge plight.
As we look toward next year, we will be meeting in person and trying to return to normal (whatever that becomes). As we do, we will do it with love, a love that provides an example of God’s Grace. We will extend hospitality to our community without grumbling. We will be remodeling the Education Building and starting a partnership with Bill Wilson Center. In this partnership, we can extend our hospitality deeper into the community and to our neighbors in need. By volunteering, we will use the unique gifts (large and small) that God gave each of us. The gifts God gives are more than the traditional religious gifts of preaching and singing. You may be amazed at what a gift is. A gift may be pushing a broom or making coffee or saying hello with a smile. All of God’s gifts should be used to serve others. We will use God’s strength in what we do next year. We would like you to consider how to use your unique gifts to grow your faith through meaningful involvement at Westminster.
Then there is the pledging plight. Stewardship itself is more than the giving of money in order to meet a church’s budget for the year. But eventually it gets around to that. Some research shows that pledging campaigns does not affect giving. So, why do we do it? It is a good practice, a good time for us to reflect on what we have received from God and how we use it in our lives and in the church. It is a good time to teach our children about charity and giving (they can pledge). If there is any doubt, you can give without pledging.
Scroll down to the 2021 Pledge card. When filling it out remember to click the “FINISH YOUR PLEDGE BY CLICKING HERE” box to submit it. If you prefer, you can request a traditional Pledge Card by emailing us or calling the main office at (408) 294-7447.
We will dedicate the pledges on Sunday October 25.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Bryan James Franzen, Pastor and Elder Ross Barrons, Chair of Stewardship
We stand on the cusp of a new year and a new world. How will we enter that year and that world as Christians in San Jose? This theme creates a vision for the year. It is a call to action. Love, Hospitality and Using God’s Gifts. While that is the sound bit of the theme, there is a lot that underlines this theme. There are two parts to our stewardship campaigns: 1) the call to action and 2) the pledge plight.
As we look toward next year, we will be meeting in person and trying to return to normal (whatever that becomes). As we do, we will do it with love, a love that provides an example of God’s Grace. We will extend hospitality to our community without grumbling. We will be remodeling the Education Building and starting a partnership with Bill Wilson Center. In this partnership, we can extend our hospitality deeper into the community and to our neighbors in need. By volunteering, we will use the unique gifts (large and small) that God gave each of us. The gifts God gives are more than the traditional religious gifts of preaching and singing. You may be amazed at what a gift is. A gift may be pushing a broom or making coffee or saying hello with a smile. All of God’s gifts should be used to serve others. We will use God’s strength in what we do next year. We would like you to consider how to use your unique gifts to grow your faith through meaningful involvement at Westminster.
Then there is the pledging plight. Stewardship itself is more than the giving of money in order to meet a church’s budget for the year. But eventually it gets around to that. Some research shows that pledging campaigns does not affect giving. So, why do we do it? It is a good practice, a good time for us to reflect on what we have received from God and how we use it in our lives and in the church. It is a good time to teach our children about charity and giving (they can pledge). If there is any doubt, you can give without pledging.
Scroll down to the 2021 Pledge card. When filling it out remember to click the “FINISH YOUR PLEDGE BY CLICKING HERE” box to submit it. If you prefer, you can request a traditional Pledge Card by emailing us or calling the main office at (408) 294-7447.
We will dedicate the pledges on Sunday October 25.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Bryan James Franzen, Pastor and Elder Ross Barrons, Chair of Stewardship
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