“Each of you must give as you have made up your mind,

not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

2 Corinthians, 9:7

As stated in our last letter to the parish, the Vestry voted to pay off our mortgage with funds from the sale of the former “Anglican House” property. It was officially paid in full on July 5th, 2022 – Hallelujah!

Before that decision and vote was made, the Vestry discussed the importance of receiving a substantial amount of money and how best to utilize these funds not only for our parish, but for others as well. The biblical pattern for giving is to tithe at least 10% of our income for the ministry of the Church. This ancient practice is offered as a tool to assist us in learning how to love Christ and one another, and it strengthens us to give in all areas of our lives. In imitation of the individual tithe, the Vestry prayerfully decided to give 10% of the funds we received from the property sale to support some of our local, regional, and international ministry partners. At our July 28th meeting, the Vestry voted and approved to give financial gifts to the organizations listed below. Considerations for the funds included past association and financial need. Our tithe of $28,000 from the Anglican House property sale will be distributed as follows:

Local

$4,000 – Metroplex Women’s Clinic

A crisis pregnancy center serving DFW.

$3,000 – SafeHaven of Tarrant County

A shelter for individuals and families experiencing domestic violence.

$3,000 – Camp Summit

A summer camp for children & adults with disabilities.

Regional

$2,000 – St Michael’s Conference Southwest

Anglican formation program for youth aged 12-19.

$2,000 – Seminarian Support

Assisting those preparing for ministry in the Diocese of Fort Worth.

$2,000 – Tarrant Area Food Bank

Provides free groceries for those who need them.

Our donation will help provide approximately 10,000 meals.

International

$5,000 – The Community of St Mary

Convent building project in Northern Malawi.

$2,000 – La Gran Familia

An Anglican orphanage serving Cuauhtémoc, Mexico.

$5,000 – Love for the Least

The ministry of Fr Jerry & Stacey Kramer.

Our donation will provide food for a month for 165 families in East Africa

or the Middle East.

It is incredibly rare that a single parish is capable of giving significant financial gifts to this many wonderful ministries which serve in so many different ways. We pray that this small sacrifice of what God has given us will be a blessing to his people, for whom he died and rose again.

There is still much to be done in our Parish and in our community, and we hope you will join with us in joyfully giving for the work of Christ’s Church. Thank you for your continued support of our Vestry and Parish leadership, and we ask that you continue to hold us in prayer as we move forward in mission.

In Christ,

The Vestry of St Alban’s Anglican Church

Julie Todd, Senior Warden

Edward Maneikis, Junior Warden

Linda Broadus

Ben Doerge

Vincent Go

Janis Higham

Sue Hogg

Denita Kionka

Tiger Vinson

Fr Joseph Francis SSC, Rector