When I think about our Strategic Plan entitled “Come, Worship, Grow,” the main word that comes to my mind is participation. Participation in what we do at Saint John’s is participation in The Church. Participation in The Church is participation in the Kingdom of God and the resurrected life of Jesus Christ. How do you participate in the Kingdom? Are you a member of the Vestry, an Acolyte, or a Choir member? Do you serve on the Altar Guild, help with our Foster Youth Initiative, or participate in our community through HOPE?

There are too many ways for me to name how we participate in the Kingdom of God here at Saint John’s. If I tried to name them all, this letter would be far too long! One of the great things about being a member of a church community as expansive as Saint John’s is that we can meet the needs of anyone who joins our parish. In other words, we have something here for everyone! Some may love attending an adult Bible study, while others might love teaching five-year-old children in Sunday School.

This begs an important question: is there something that everyone in this community can do? Are there one or two things that every member of Saint John’s can do together? The answer is absolutely! We can all participate in the Kingdom together! First, we can do this through worship. We worship almighty God together; we do so on Sunday mornings through the Holy Eucharist, and this is the most important part of all of our lives each week. It is when we commune with God by consuming the body and blood of Our Lord and worshiping him together we join the whole community of believers in Heaven and on Earth!

The other thing we can all do is pledge to the church. In the past, we have presented an amount we aspired to raise and we have asked you all to give generously. This year, our pledge drive will look a little bit different. We will not present a budget number for a successful campaign. Instead, we ask for 100% participation in pledging. We still implore you to give to Saint John’s as generously as you can and to, at the very least, aspire to a tithe, which is a gift of ten percent of your income (after taxes).

As I said, there are two ways we can all, together, as one body, participate in the Kingdom: worshipping together, especially on Sunday, and pledging to give to our church. If you think your ability to give is inconsequential, it is not. Remember the lesson from the widow’s mite. If you would like to tithe in your heart but are not sure if you can, that’s OK; please pledge. Pledge what you think you can give, and if you can give more, it will be a great success for you and our parish.

With this letter, you have received a pledge card. Whether you have pledged in the past or this is your first time pledging, we invite you to join us in participating in the Kingdom of God. Join us in worship and join us by giving to our parish home. These are truly two things all of us can do together to come. Worship. Grow.

Fr. Christian Wood +