From our Rector

Dear ones,

The goodness unfolding at Church of the Resurrection is astonishing! The way our community grows month after month, in both numbers and depth, takes my breath away. It is a joy and honor to serve here with you. And I am eager for us to welcome the possibilities emerging in our midst. This fall, I invite you to reflect on how you can invest in our potential, to embrace and support Resurrection.

Tremendous joy, care, healing, and connection happens in our church. And we strive to grow into an ever more vibrant version of ourselves — to embody who God is calling us to be. In the year ahead, let us sustain our good work, while we roll up our sleeves to embrace all that we are.

We are reaching to better support ourkids and young families, and running with our adventurous teenagers. We are making gorgeous music and weaving beauty all throughout our worship. We are caring for our neighbors in need, and growing our Peace and Justice Ministry. We are sharing the good news, and working to ensure that Resurrection doesn’t remain our best kept secret.  We are having so much fun together. With all this, I see us pulling the kingdom of God ever closer — that is our potential at Resurrection.

The reality is that we live out this calling against a very stark backdrop…inflation has been wild, and it hits the church hard. We operate with a lean budget and have no fat to cut. We also face the challenge that a small number of people have provided a disproportionate amount of our income with their pledges; in the last year we bid tearful goodbyes to a number of these members who have passed away. These challenges have created a significant hurdle to achieving a balanced budget. Now is the time for all of us to share the responsibility of carrying the church forward. Now, more than ever, is the time to invest in our potential.

In the month ahead, you will hear from members about why they give money to sustain our community, and how they decided to make that a regular practice. We’ll also share how we use money as a church, providing transparency about our finances and the future. Through it all, we’ll hold fast to the belief that money is a tool and a resource; we get to decide how we invest our spending to embrace our values and support Resurrection in the world around us.

I hope that you will prayerfully consider how you can stretch your pledge to embrace Resurrection now and invest to welcome God’s emerging call for this place. It will truly take all of us to do this. We are asking the congregation to consider increasing pledges by 9% for 2027. We know it won’t be possible for everyone to do this, and so if it is within reach for you to exceed that goal, we would be so grateful. I realize the magnitude of this request is significant. To make church work we are asking a lot from everyone this year. Please know that all of your contributions and support are deeply valued and essential to sustaining our church.

Finally, come and celebrate! Join with your church family for Ingathering Sunday and our festive Harvest Dinner, both on October 25th. That morning, we’ll gather our pledge cards together and ask God to bless our intentions to live generously. (You can also submit your pledge online at www.resurrectionph.org/pledge.) That evening, we’ll feast, laugh, sing, and embrace the gift of this incredible community!

With love, hope, and deep thanks,

Liz+