13 July 2010

Dear Friends:

As Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

At our recent Board of Directors meeting, the treasurer presented us with a disturbing report.  The church finds itself, after four months of declining offerings, with little over $100 in the bank.  Sundays offering was good, but not enough by any means to restore us to a secure financial footing.

This is the first time in my eleven years as your Pastor that I have had to write this sort of letter.  But I am asking each of you to consider where your heart is regarding MCC Hartford:  If you have made a pledge, is it up to date?  If you havent pledged, would you consider doing so? If you are in a position to do so, will you consider making a one-time special gift, or increasing your regular giving?  If you are already at your financial limit, would you speak to Roy Moeckel about volunteering time at fundraisers and in the church office, or to Mary Young about contributing gifts in kind (office or kitchen supplies, for example)?  If youre not sure where your giving stands, would you talk to Sharron Emmons on Sunday and find out?

There are many ways people can contribute, and every contribution is of value.  There are many ways to be spiritually active and involved, and each is meaningful.  But it is important to remember that even through these lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, church expenses continue.  Rent and salary, phone bills, tithes to the denomination, all need to be paid, whether church members are here or away.  The Board is taking steps to address our needs as a congregation.  You will be hearing from them during the week, and in church on Sunday.  Fund-raising events are scheduled for the summer and fall.  But without the active physical presence of the members of our church, and without your generous support, the Board and the clergy and lay staff can accomplish little. 

Remember that each member of MCC Hartford has promised before God and the congregation to support the church with prayers, presence, gifts, and service. Meanwhile, know that I do not perceive this situation as a crisis, but rather as an opportunity.  It is sometimes too easy for us to imagine that all is well in hand (usually we mean in someone elses capable hands.)  And frankly, it sometimes happens that the Board and the Pastor do fail to communicate in a timely or urgent manner what the needs of the church are.  But we are doing so now.

I believe that God has a mission and purpose for MCC Hartford, and that purpose is growth, in spirit, in numbers, in witness, and in love.  I believe that Gods promised abundance will manifest itself through the generosity and self-giving of our friends and members.  It is through your response that our message of Gods radically inclusive, all-embracing love can be made known.  This message still transforms the world and saves lives.  I know you believe in this message, as do I, as do the Board members, clergy, lay ministers, and volunteers.  Let us put our treasure where our hearts are.

See you in Church!

 

Yours in Christs Service,

George A. Chien, Senior Pastor