Dear South Main Family,
As our Advent journey continues and 2018 approaches, we each have an opportunity to reflect on the year and find the many ways God has worked in our lives. Despite the remarkably challenging events of 2017 in Houston, Texas, our faith encourages each of us to dwell in gratitude, and to continue to grow.
Through the second week of November, South Main was abundantly blessed by the faithful giving of our members, which routinely exceeded the pace of giving in prior years. In the few weeks leading up to early December, however, our giving notably declined, and we are now facing a significant stewardship challenge as the year end approaches.
Specifically, to meet the 2017 budget our congregation prayerfully approved, we need to raise an additional $396,494 by December 31. This amount may feel daunting to you. We have the capacity to meet and exceed this goal, but to get there requires each of us to prayerfully consider what we can do to help close the gap to meet the commitments our budget reflects.
If you have given faithfully and prayerfully to South Main this year, if you feel good about those gifts, and if you are not in a position to give anymore, please know that your gifts are already working for God's Kingdom and are deeply appreciated by your church family and those reached by our missions and ministries.
If you have given faithfully and prayerfully to South Main this year, if you feel good about those gifts, and if you think you may still have some capacity to dig deeper and give even more generously to South Main, right now is an excellent time to prayerfully take action.
If you haven't yet experienced the blessings of faithful giving this year, and if you are ready to learn more about systematic giving, we encourage you to take a leap of faith with a gift before year end. As follow up, please find a South Main lay leader or minister with whom you can pray and study as you shape your stewardship habits beyond 2017.
As a reminder, in order for your gift to be recorded by the IRS as a 2017 gift, it must be mailed to the church's office at 4100 Main Street, Houston, TX, 77002 and postmarked by December 31, or given online no later than December 31.
Our church family at 4100 Main is blessed by you: your faithful attendance, your gifts of time, your questions and insights, and your financial gifts. Won't you join us in finishing 2017 South Main Strong?
Faithfully,
Cathy Edwards, Finance Chair
Anne Tülek, Stewardship Chair
