As Christians, we strive to be faithful and generous stewards of the gifts with which God has entrusted us. As a congregation, we continue to grow our ministries, which are designed to make a positive difference in the lives of our members as well as the broader community. It is these ministries that provide a way for each of us to share our time, talent and financial gifts so that we can reach our goals both as Christians and as a congregation.
God has been powerfully at work at Holy Spirit Lutheran Church. Since the dedication of our newly remodeled building in 2006 more than four hundred people have joined our congregation. New ministries have been initiated and many existing ministries have expanded. We have a vibrant and faithful congregation, filled with the gifts and desire to make a meaningful impact on the Eastside and around the world. Now is the time in the life of our congregation to take a new step towards being a public church. We hope to be an example for the entire Eastside of a church that is committed to serving others and is theologically open and progressive.
How do we do this? To become a more public presence on the Eastside, it is essential to free up some of our financial resources which presently go to servicing our building debt. $10,695.00 each month goes to our mortgage payment, limiting the growth of our ministries. This was discussed at the Congregation Meeting over the summer, and the congregation overwhelmingly voted to begin a Capital Campaign this Fall to pay down the debt.
Between now and November 14, 2009, we will be encouraging everyone to prayerfully consider a $ commitment. Every gift, no matter how large or small, will help us reach our goal!
Over and above the special Capital Campaign mentioned above, Holy Spirit has a year-round stewardship program that focuses on Every Member Involvement as well as financial giving. The goal of our stewardship ministry is to help people grow in their Christian faith through the use of their gifts.
We ask that members commit to financially supporting our mission during our annual stewardship campaign (July- June). Making these commitments through pledges helps Holy Spirit plan the upcoming year, including what programs we can fund as well as how much we can invest in each program. Please help us realistically plan the next fiscal year by learning more about stewardship and making the pledge that best suits your situation. The following links take you to the latest stewardship information and online pledge form:
Not sure how much to financially give? We encourage our members to work towards giving 10% of their annual income. We recognize this may take time, but is a target giving level. This link provides a chart that will help you decide your giving level: Giving Chart.
In addition to submitting your pledge, please consider enrolling in our Simply Giving program. Simply Giving is a great way to simplify the giving process and ensure that your generosity has the maximum impact by allowing funds to be drawn directly from your checking, savings, or credit card account for on-going or one-time contributions.
Simply Giving contributions can be processed on-line through this link Register for Simply Giving online or make changes in your Simply Giving. If you are already enrolled in Simply Giving and wish to make changes to your on-going contributions, please call or email Karen Dicken in the Church office.
You can also contribute both your talents as well as your financial gifts. The Every Person Involved program uses this information to assess how well our ministries match the gifts of the congregation and to try to find matches for skills within our ministries.
Curious about how your money will be invested? Our Long Range Plan includes a vision of where we want to go with our mission - Proclaiming the Love of God in our community. If you are interested in the details of the Long Range Plan, you can read a summary of the plan or the complete plan.
We welcome feedback on our programs anytime. The following survey form can be used to share your thoughts or suggestions about our ministries link to survey.
Thank you for investing in our community, our church, and ourselves!!