Why your church needs
you now more than ever
Too often we forget that the church
is us. It's not a building or an organization
headed by the priest. The
church is our extended family. It is
deserving of our consistent support
and presence. It's the place where we
support one another and where we
worship our heavenly Father. It cares for the needy and educates us
in our
faith. It strengthens us for our daily
tasks and it is there for us when we are
ill or if some member of our immediate
family dies. It's there for us
when a child is born,
when we want to join this
child to the body of Christ, and
when we want to get married.
Your support enables your church to
share Christ's message with the whole
world. Your support is a sign of your
commitment to being an effective
member of the Body of Christ. Your support of your church is a sign
of thanksgiving for all the gifts
we have received.
Like any family, your church has
responsibilities. There are salaries for
the pastor and cleaning
personnel. There are utility bills and
insurance bills and your church
has an obligation to
support our Archbishop,
our diocese which in turn supports us. Your church also must
purchase various types of
insurance, property, liability, health and auto. Your church must
also contribute to a
retirement fund for the clergy who serve it. And there are office
and printing expenses and maintenance
expenses.
It's not fair for only a few members
of our parish family to have to pay all
the bills when God blesses all of us in
so many ways.
Those who opt out and don't contribute
their fair share place a greater
burden on those who are willing to do
so.
We are all called to be good stewards
of God's church on earth. Each of
us, every family must accept responsibility
for its care. God entrusted His
church to our care. Each of us can contribute
our time, talents and money
according to our means. The
Bible suggests that we
tithe, that is, give 10 percent
of all that we have, time, talent
and treasure. We must ask
ourselves, do I want to
follow God's plan or my
plan. If I follow my own plan why
should I expect God's blessings
upon my church or even my
family? At the very
least, that which we give should represent a true sacrifice
representative of our love. When we give a gift to
someone, we carefully consider
what we want to spend, we
purchase it and we wrap it
up. Should we do any less for God and our church?
When you register as a member, our church asks us to
pledge our support. Your pledge insures
the smooth operation of your
church, confirms the viability of our community, and allows the
parish to set a budget so that we don't overspend.
Today, even
though the times may seem uncertain, we must care for our church so
it can
care for you. If we have not filled-out a pledge form or have
neglected to meet our pledge, let us prayerfully consider
what we want to give to our
church in 2009 and fill-out a
pledge form and donate accordingly. By doing so
you are saying that you
want to remain a member of your
church. You will be saying YES!
I love my church and want
to provide for its
needs. YES! I want to show
my appreciation for God's
blessings. YES! I am
proud to be a supporting
member of my church. Your church
needs you!