Dear Fremont Family:

“You have the best job,” a young mother said to me after our weekly Bible study together on Wednesday mornings. “I do!” I answered as I walked her out the front door. The church building was buzzing for a mid-week morning, a book group meeting on the main floor, a Tai Chi class meeting in the Fellowship Hall, Music Together classes in the Narthex, and Juniper preschool on the second floor. This new friend could tell that as our building comes back to life with activity, there is plenty of opportunity for hospitality and welcome. She saw how much joy this opportunity was bringing me, and she knew that it was my “job,” that is, ministry.

In so many ways, this is all of our “job,” a ministry of creating welcome and community where otherwise there might be none. This new friend has not even attended worship yet, but already she has found refuge in our weekly Bible study and prayer. She was invited here by her neighbor who is a member at Fremont. Even as our building comes back to life, there are countless more opportunities for community and welcome. Every week, as we finish our Bible study, parents from the music class upstairs simply wander down with their kids to play in our nursery space. They were never specifically invited, they just heard our children playing, and they came to see. Now, they come every week. Our beautiful play space for Fremont kids is now a safe space for neighborhood families.

We are in the middle of our annual Pledge Campaign. That is, the time when we discern and commit to a level of financial giving for the next ministry year. It takes money to staff the office, clean the building, pay for heat and electricity, and yet, those things are not just “budget items,” they are ministry. Families and children, neighbors and strangers are finding life here. We are offering life here, and we are just scratching the surface. As I think about my financial commitment to Fremont for 2023, I can’t wait to give so that there is more energy, more imagination, more possibility and more life in our midst.

 

On Sunday, November 20, we will consecrate these commitments to God. That means, we will ask God to bless them so that they might bear fruit. In the meantime, if you are struggling over what to give, take a peek at the giving chart below. It’s a quick reference for annual income and percentage giving. And know that whatever you give, God will honor your true generosity.

Grace and peace,

Erin