The Wardens’ Stewardship Letter, 2024
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God.
Ephesians 5:1-2
Dear Friends,
As we prepare for our annual Stewardship Campaign, we are writing to invite you into prayer about the journey you make with our congregation – our spiritual home. We are companions for each other as we navigate the ups and downs of our shared lives. It is a walk of love that we make with each other. As your wardens we would like to invite you to prayerfully consider supporting God’s work in the world through a financial commitment to Redeemer for the upcoming year.
What does it mean to “Walk in Love?” The passage from Ephesians above explains that to walk in love is to be like God and Jesus through actions of sacrificial and unconditional love. This kind of love is selfless and can only be demonstrated through our actions. Throughout this year we have witnessed first hand members of Redeemer who Walk in Love as they live out our Mission in the world: to deepen our relationship with God and each other, to be a welcoming, safe, and comfortable space for all, and to love and serve our neighbors.
To be like Jesus we must know Him. When we gather for worship in person or online, participate in prayer via Zoom, walk the labyrinth, join voices as we sing the hymns, attend bible study, participate in Christian formation, and celebrate at Church Feast parties we strengthen our understanding of God and God’s will for our lives and deepen our relationship with Him.
We are God’s beloved children. When we break bread in groups of “8”, play in or spectate at the annual inter-generational kickball game, attend youth group, play 9 holes of golf, or knit together with other faithful followers of Christ Jesus we strengthen our relationships with one another in a community where we are truly seen and valued. This is what it means to be in community with each other – this is what walking in love looks like.
Walking in Love requires action. When Redeemer feeds the hungry through our support of LexEat, Bristol Lodge (12,440 meals served this year) and the Food Pantry (serving 102 families or 338 people weekly), “heals” the sick through our partnership with the Grow Clinic at Boston Medical Center, gives refuge to the outcasts through our affiliation with LexRap, builds relationships with and works alongside our siblings in Navajoland, and educates the next generation of young women through our connection to Esperanza Academy in Lawrence, Massachusetts, we demonstrate our unconditional love for and selfless service to others.
As we shared with you in August, Redeemer faces ongoing financial challenges – larger than expected deficits in 2024 and the years beyond – primarily due to the loss of steeple rental income as a result of the merging of cell service providers. Vestry has identified several actions with the twin goals of continuing our journey to live our Mission and to become financially sustainable. One immediate action, with input from the Finance Committee, was to set a 2025 pledge goal of $355,000, which is a 9% increase over last year. We invite you to consider making such an increase in your own pledge as we walk together to meet this goal.
The many opportunities to Walk in Love at Redeemer are possible because we have so many gifts to share here, gifts of time, talent, and treasure that we freely give to support our ministry and to do the work of mission in our neighborhoods and communities. We do this not out of a sense that we will get back what we give, but because we are motivated by love. When Paul wrote to his friends in the Church at Ephesus, he reminded them that the very spark of love that founded their community of faith was one of giving. God showed His love for humanity by giving us a part of the Divine.
Certainly this is what we do when we place our gifts on the altar – we bring our whole selves and share the best part of our love and labor. As you consider what you will share with the Church this year, we invite you to give thanks for the many people who have walked with you in love, supported you in your faith, and shared their gifts with you.
We thank you in advance for prayerfully considering making a financial commitment in the form of a pledge if you have not done so before, or increasing your pledge, as you are able, to help our community meet our financial goal of a 9% increase in pledge revenue over 2024, so that we can continue to Walk in Love for many years to come.
Walking with you in Love,
Bethany & Kathleen