Friends, we are ending this fall season exactly where we started it – Grounded in Gratitude. Back on September 30, we kicked off our annual stewardship campaign and capital campaign by focusing not on what we didn’t have, but rather on what we already have. From the love and grace and new life we have received in Jesus Christ to the faithful legacy and vibrant ministry we have received from previous generations, we are truly blessed!

Then we spent the next several weeks reflecting on and celebrating the impact of our current ministry and mission and the vision God has given us to live faithfully into the future. All along the way, we have sought God’s presence and guidance in prayer and considered what it means to live by faith and to offer a sacrifice of ourselves in response to God’s sacrificial love for us. It has been an incredible journey marked by energy and enthusiasm, renewed commitment and amazing generosity to our life together as a church community!

All of which brings us right back to where we started – Grounded in Gratitude. Words cannot express our heartfelt appreciation to everyone who has worked so hard and given so much, so that our ministry and mission can continue to grow and thrive. We say special thanks to the church leadership (elders and deacons) and to the campaign leadership team who made this fall such an energizing celebration for all of us. And finally we thank all of you who prayed and helped, pledged and gave so generously to the current and future ministries of our church.

Throughout this fall, our sense of gratitude has both grown and deepened, and this is exactly how gratitude and thanksgiving are supposed to work. When we start from the place of thankfulness, we become even more aware of the gifts and blessings we have been given, which produces even more gratitude and thanksgiving. In fact, thanksgiving becomes a way of life, not just thanks-giving but thanks-living.

As we move forward in faith together, may thanksgiving be not just a holiday, but a circle of gratitude and a way of life for all of us.

See you in church,

Tami