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...A letter to the
congregation from the "Pilgrim Rising" co-chairs...
April 13,
2005
Dear
Friends:
Greetings
and blessings to each of you! It is with great excitement that we are pleased to
announce the start of the Pilgrim Rising Capital Campaign! In 2004, the United
Church of Christ, launched the God is Still Speaking initiative and along with
that came the message that "No matter who you are or where you are on
life's journey, you are welcome here"! To this end, Pilgrim Congregational
Church has extended a warm and enthusiastic welcome to "all". To
fulfill this promise, we need to make our church home even more accessible to
everyone, regardless of ability or disability.
Our
Board of Trustees decided the time is right to start the next phase of the
restoration of our church building. Our campaign is an aggressive one. We are
charged with the responsibility of raising 1.5 million dollars so that we can
continue with the mission of our church that has been handed down from one
generation to the next. In addition
to a refurbishment of our fellowship hall and kitchen, we will also be embarking
on the construction of an elevator that will provide access to all levels of the
church building and the adjoining community center. An equally important goal of
our campaign is a tithe of ten percent of our campaign goal towards ongoing
mission projects. These are just a few of the projects that will be included in
the Pilgrim Rising Campaign.
Some have said that this campaign may be too lofty – that perhaps we should
wait. As a congregation, we said overwhelmingly that the time to act is
NOW
! The time to make our
church accessible to everyone is
NOW
. The
time to expand our mission outreach is
NOW
. Yes friends, we have an aggressive goal but we
have faith in God and we have faith in you that as a congregation of many, we
will rise to the challenge. After
hearing Pastor Laurie describe the new pastoral programs last Sunday we are
convinced more than ever that Pilgrim is truly rising to new levels.
During the coming weeks, you will hear a lot about the Capital Campaign and we
invite you to talk with us if you have any questions. In addition, there are
over 25 campaign committee co-chairs who have donated hundreds of hours of time
over the past few months to make this campaign a reality. We are truly grateful
and honored to have the opportunity to work with such a talented and committed
group of individuals. What an exciting time to be a member of
Pilgrim
Church
and a member of the
United Church of Christ!
True to Pilgrim form, your Capital Campaign Committee has decided to embark on a
somewhat "non-traditional" approach to the campaign. (What a
surprise!) We are inviting each of you to attend a gathering in the home of a
fellow member of
Pilgrim
Church
to hear more about the
Pilgrim Rising Campaign. These gatherings will be a fun and spiritual way to
learn how you can be a part of the ongoing mission of
Pilgrim
Church
. You will receive a
folder of information about the campaign, preview the campaign video (tissues
will be provided!) and you will receive a pledge card and an invitation to
support the campaign financially over the next four years.
We are asking for your help. When you receive your invitation to an In-Home
Gathering please RSVP as soon as you receive your invitation! If you are unable
to attend the In-Home Gathering, there are other dates and locations that may be
more accommodating for your schedule. Your host can provide you with more
information on other dates and locations.
For those that cannot attend an In-Home Gathering, there will be an
"Amnesty" Congregational Gathering following worship on May 15th
in fellowship hall. Finally, if you are not able to attend one of these
gatherings, a Witnessing Steward will be happy to bring your campaign materials
to your home during the week of May 16th.
As a congregation, we have been entrusted with not only the care of our church
building that each of us calls home, but also to continue the mission upon which
our church was founded. We will continue to reach out to our community and the
world at large. We will continue to keep trying to make the world a better
place. And we will continue our mission to make a positive difference in the
lives of others.
We would like to thank each of you for your continued love, support and prayers
during this campaign period. We have both been absolutely overwhelmed by the
outpouring of support we have received. With God's help, Pilgrim is truly
rising!
Blessings,
John A. Lauro
Pilgrim
Rising Co-Chair
Scott
A. Williams
Pilgrim
Rising Co-Chair
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