Letter from the Rector: WALK IN LOVE - Stewardship Gatherings
Dear siblings in Christ,
Grace and peace be with you! I write you today to invite you to one of several gatherings in my home during the last two weeks of September, as the Church of Our Saviour begins its budgeting process for 2027.
This year, your Stewardship Team chose the theme “Walk in Love” from Ephesians 4:25-5:1, for the 2027 Annual Giving Campaign. If you recall, we unveiled at our Annual Meeting COS’s vision: walking toward God; walking toward Jesus; walking toward one another; walking toward our community; and walking toward conflict. We also unveiled our collective mission at COS: walking together.
Annie and I would like to walk towards you this fall season and invite you into our home. We ask you to please join us for at least one gathering. These informal meetings will be held at times when you and others already regularly participate in ministries at COS, and all are welcome at all or any of these gatherings:
Saturday, September 19 at 9:30 am
Sunday, September 20 at 11:30 am in the Sacred Garden
Monday, September 21 at 8:30 am
Thursday, September 24 at 7:00 pm
Friday, September 25 at 9:30 am
Sunday, September 27 at 4:00 pm in Grace Chapel
Wednesday, September 30 at 12:30 pm
At these gatherings, we will talk about our hopes and dreams for COS and their budgetary implications, but we will not ask you to sign a pledge card or to commit to anything on the spot. These are simply opportunities to be together as a church, discuss our household, and think about how we might walk together in love in 2027.
We are not requesting RSVPs for these gatherings, but if you are willing to bring a refreshment to share, please contact Rose Gonzalez at roseg@cosepiscopal.org or (626) 282-5147 extension 118.
Thank you so much for being a part of this community. We are better because you choose to spend your time among us.
Faithfully,
The Rev. Jeff Thornberg
Rector of Church of Our Saviour
It is really lovely to see such an open, welcoming approach to discussing church finances. Having relaxed, informal gatherings at the rector's home without the pressure of signing pledge cards on the spot creates such a warm atmosphere for honest conversations about the community’s future. It reminds me a bit of researching Statistics Assignment Topics back in my uni days, where gathering simple, clear data first always helped everyone understand the broader financial picture before making any big commitments. I reckon framing stewardship around the theme of "walking in love" helps ground the whole budgeting process in values rather than just numbers. Thanks for sharing this thoughtful update; it sounds like a great start to the planning season.