December 28, 2020
Dear Friends,
I hope your celebration of Christmas was meaningful during this bizarre year of 2020. All of us have had to learn to do things in a new way.
One of the hardest things we are doing at Peace right now is a Stewardship campaign to estimate our 2021 Budget. Whatever your financial wellbeing is right now, I hope you are doing what you need to do–take care of yourself and those you love.
At the time I am writing this letter, with about a week left in 2020, our Stewardship campaign for 2021 is not yet even halfway to its goal of $248,866 for the 2021 Peace Ministry Budget. We have received 34 Commitment Forms, less than half of the Commitment Forms that were returned in last year’s Stewardship Campaign. We are grateful for those who have already committed $115,869. We know we can do better. Indeed, we MUST do better. The budget proposed for 2021 is skeletal, reflecting the uncertainty of prospects of gathering together on Sunday morning for worship any time soon, reduced rental income from building use, and unpredictable financial outlooks of our participants. Any further cuts to the 2021 Budget will mean significant cuts in the ministry of Peace.
Understanding that 2020 was a year that has challenged us all, it is still important that we hear from you. You may have been busy, overwhelmed, or struggling personally or financially. You may be able to support Peace financially at the same level as 2020, or a little more or a little less. Or you may not be able to support Peace financially in 2021. Whatever your ability or inability to financially support Peace, please embrace your own value and capability.
Please take ten minutes to fill out the Commitment Form and return it to Peace. If you would like to support Peace through automatic withdrawal, please follow these instructions to set up your account or these to edit your existing account.
We will bring our 2021 budget to a Zoom All-Church Conference for approval by our members and participants on January 24, 2021, at 11:30 am. We’d also like to bring a reasonably solid estimate of donations we can expect to receive. The more commitments we receive in the next two weeks, the less guesswork will be involved and the more secure we can feel about moving ahead with the ministries, staff, building, and programs we now enjoy.
Thank you for your consideration. We anticipate hearing from you soon.
In Christ’s Love,
Gary Walpole
Pastor, Peace Community of Faith