GIVE
Inspiration in in the air. Take a deep breath.
Our theme for Stewardship 2011 was "Spiritual Home." This is still an important focus of the Church of the Advent's mission. People from across the nation continue to move into the Logan Square neighborhood. Because we are a small, growing and deeply welcoming Christian community, offering a "spiritual home" in a huge city is a real gift. In 2011, many new people found the Advent community to be exactly that.
While we continue as a "spiritual home," we can now embark upon a new level of development with our growing community: nurturing and transforming discipleship in Jesus Christ. "Inspiring lives" is our stewardship theme for 2012.
We are a community of life-long Episcopalians, Christians from other faith traditions new to the Anglican way, and folks with no particular faith background at all. Some of us have served at the Advent for decades; some of us have discovered and embraced the Advent community in the last year or two.
What we share in common is that every person in this community has a known or growing sense of Christian discipleship that helps to build up this church. Every person in our congregation lives a life inspired by our God. And every person in our congregation is an inspiration to the community.
The Advent Community has great hopes for 2012.
Each year's development goals build upon the hard work that our community has already undertaken. As church builders, our common life of worship, fellowship, formation and outreach reveals the work of Jesus in Logan Square. Being in the world means that we must financially support our mission, even when times are tough. We need generous givers who are inspired by the hopes we have for 2012:
- We will continue to let our mission and worship priorities guide us in developing the way forward.
- We need to expand our marketing efforts and continue to get the word out.
- We hope to incorporate even more new members into the Advent community.
- We will continue to discern and develop leadership from newer community members.
- We will expand community fellowship and formation opportunities.
- We will envision and develop new outreach efforts in Logan Square.
- We will continue to attend to church building needs, restoration and repair projects.
We will, with God's help. And yours.