Abundant Life is the Stewardship Program of St. Mark. It is a program that invites us to witness to the abundance of God - and to share what that abundance says about our work together as people of God.
Alleluia indeed! The world has once again begun to bloom, the persistence of Spring making itself known in the ordinary things of every day; the days grow longer, the warm winds blow, the barren soil shows signs of life again. Around us, the signs of Abundant Life are in full view.
This abundance is in our life together as church too. Our school continues to grow in new and exciting ways, our community events welcome in new faces, and our worship attendance climbs slowly higher. Where do you see the abundance of God in your life today? I promise it is there – and God extends an invitation to us all to seek it out!
The elected leadership of St. Mark has spent many hours in conversation discussing who St. Mark is and what we are called to be. Those conversations continue and we are excited to continue in our intentional efforts to identify and clarify our mission and vision as a community of faithful Lutherans here in Clifton Heights and beyond.
After much discussion with various groups, including the property team, the worship support team, and the Christian school board, the council has identified three areas that need financial attention: our AV system, the exterior concrete steps leading into the office, and more secure funding for future property emergencies. With these areas in mind, we are excited to announce our 2024 Easter stewardship campaign: Abundant Life, Our Firm Foundation.
Our system is many years overdue for an update and we want to be preemptive to ensure we do not encounter surprise issues at an inopportune time. Additionally, the system cannot handle newer technology and the changing needs of our ministry. A new system will allow us to improve the quality and flexibility of Sunday morning worship – I might even use an image or two in a sermon! A new system is also a huge benefit to the school, allowing more creative ways of engaging our youngest learners. Moving beyond our own walls, an upgrade system will allow us greater flexibility in how we engage our community; expanded movie nights, concerts, and other community events become more possible with an upgraded system. Finally, there is potential for additional rental income. We have had several groups inquire about using our space for larger events, but we were unable to host them because our A/V equipment was not able to handle their needs.
After soliciting bids from multiple contractors, we identified John Dezell of Sound Designs as the best match for our needs. John submitted a bid that works with the existing infrastructure we have, allowing us to upgrade our system in a way that is both economically viable and doesn’t disrupt our beautiful worship space.
Regular wear-and-tear has deteriorated the structure and impacted the safety of the external concrete steps that lead into the church office. Council requested two quotes, one that looked at repairing the existing damage and another that replaced the entire structure. While repairing the existing structure is less expensive in the short term, every contractor we spoke with identified that such a repair would not be a permanent fix – merely a "Band-aid." At the recommendation of the property team, council decided to move forward with bids to replace the entire structure. At this point, it is necessary to replace them to ensure the safety of anyone that comes to the church office and the safety of the neighborhood children and families that utilize our property and visit the thrift shop.
Our building and grounds are a beautiful space – one that dedicated volunteers work hard to maintain. However, surprises happen and emergencies occur. After funding the two above projects, our hope is to begin a “General Property Fund.” This money will be set aside and marked to be used only for building and grounds needs. We hope that by establishing this fund, we will be prepared for issues as they arise in the future.
Our physical building is one piece of our firm foundation – a foundation that allows us to serve God and our neighbors here in Clifton Heights and beyond. The campaign begins on April 14th and runs until May 19th. On May 19th, we’ll celebrate together as we confirm new members of St. Mark and give thanks for the movement of the Holy Spirit – another component of our firm foundation. You are invited to participate in a variety of ways.
You can send a check to the church office or drop it in the Sunday morning offering plate with “Our Firm Foundation” in the memo line.
Each Sunday, you’ll see a large glass bowl in the narthex by the campaign information board. Drop your spare cash into the bowl and we’ll count it all up at the end of the campaign!
On April 28th, bring your coins to church! Our children will help us with our campaign by carrying around a metal bucket during the offering. Our coins will make a joyful noise!
Tithe.ly, our online platform, has a designated fund, “Our Firm Foundation.” You can give to it by clicking the button below.
With thanksgiving and joy for what this campaign will be, I celebrate what God is doing in our community. The abundance of God is a gift offered to us all - and together, we can discover what God is calling us to. Together we can grow in our faith, serving one another and our neighbor. Together, we can do amazing things.
Yours in Christ,
Pr. Kevin