Dear sisters and brothers,
How lovely it is to worship together! Each Sunday we gather as God’s beloved children, we hear the good news of the gospel, we share in the Body and Blood of Christ together, and we’re sent out into the world to embody and extend God’s gracious hospitality to all.
Holy Eucharist is kind of like a “Rosetta Stone” for understanding the meaning of our life together, and it is certainly the anchor of my week.
We also continue to live in a liminal space. Bishop Jennifer of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis and her team are working toward crossing all the t’s and dotting all the i’s to allow for a smooth and precedent-setting transition into the Episcopal Church, and there is a lot of waiting involved.
Even in the midst of the transition of this past year, we are seeking to increase our budget by 6% from last year, to fund and grow our mission together in 2023. (This is after we grew our budget by 30% last year, so we’ve been here before!)
I find myself encouraged by how our bonds are being strengthened with each other, bonds rooted not in mere affinity or similarity or convenience, but in a deep and growing love that can bear conflict and disagreement. This is the “proof in the pudding” that makes the gospel plausible to the world.
I deeply appreciated Donna Romack, one of our newer Vestry members, sharing about her journey of faith as it relates to giving this past Sunday. I sensed that many resonated with her invitation to participate in the life and mission of The Table through giving.
As you know, we are asking you to pray about giving toward our common life and mission together at The Table in the coming year. (You can read more about this campaign here.) We encourage you to take some time to pray about how much you’re willing and able to give in 2023, and then just let us know by pledging online.
Some of you have already pledged (thank you!), and so far just over $38,000 has been pledged of our $184,000 budget goal. If I knew how to create one of those little graphs that helps us visualize our progress toward our goal, I’d insert it here.
By the way, all giving should be done in good faith with a clear conscience: not out of compulsion, or a desire to impress, or avoid punishment, etc. Generosity at The Table is how we live the politic of Jesus together; pledging to give is one way we participate in the mutuality of righteousness in Jesus’ Kingdom.
There are still SO MANY THINGS for us to discern and do together, but I cannot think of anyone I’d rather be doing this with. I am deeply grateful for all of you, your work that comes from faith, your effort that comes from love, and your perseverance that comes from hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father.
Grace and peace,
Fr. Ben
P.S. Only 3 weeks left! Don’t forget to make your pledge by Sunday November 27th.
P.P.S. Check out the FAQ page if you have questions about this giving campaign.
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