Beloved of God, 

What a joy it was to worship with all of you on Sunday, to baptize a new saint among us, and to renew our own baptismal covenant! Thank you for the gift of your presence and love! 

Thanks, too, for receiving last week’s honest assessment of our financial position with grace and understanding. The Finance Committee met again on Tuesday to finalize a budget for Vestry approval. We did not have to make as many cuts as we anticipated for two reasons: 

1. The funds that you donated to the Endowment Fund this year will yield interest that can either be re-invested into the endowment or can be used to cover operating expenses. While it is the hope of the Endowment Committee to reinvest those funds to grow the corpus each year, the Finance Committee proposes we use the interest generated by the endowment to support our operating expenses this year. To be clear, the corpus of the endowment will not be touched or diminished. We could not have done this a year ago! This is a new opportunity thanks to your generosity and care! Thank you for helping us grow the endowment so that it can support our ministry for generations to come. 
2. An anonymous couple has been inspired by the new faces we get to greet each Sunday. This couple has loved St. Martin’s for a long time, and they are eager to spark a love of giving in folks who have decided to make St. Martin’s their church home. So, for every new pledge we receive, this couple will donate $1,000. They have also offered to give in thanksgiving for folks who decide to increase their pledge in response to our need, and they are prepared to match up to $20,000 in new gifts. I am especially eager to bring NEW pledges in the door... not because I want the church to have more money, but because I believe that pledging transforms lives! And I want everyone at St. Martin’s to know the joy of giving.  

This means I have some work to do. It means I will be intentionally reaching out to our new and prospective members, inviting them to join us on this journey of generosity and joy. You have work to do, too! Whenever you get the chance, please tell people why you give. Let your joy be contagious! Like the joy of the anonymous donors who are so excited to stir up a new generation of giving as this church grows. Thanks be to God! 

Finally, Adult Formation last week was so much fun. Watching so many of you engage with one another in honest conversation was like watching little Holy Spirit flames dance around the room. Let’s do it again! This Sunday (January 18), we’ll have the chance to talk about who the Vestry is, what they do, and where they see God calling St. Martin’s. It’s also a chance for them to hear from you! The following Sunday (January 25), we’ll have a similar discussion about the budget: who determines what goes in the budget, what does the church spend money on, how do we afford those expenses, and who is responsible. On February 1, we’ll dust off our imaginations and talk about who God is calling us to be in this chapter of our church life! All of this will make for a more fruitful Annual Meeting on February 8, when we’ll vote in a new vestry, celebrate this past year of ministry, and look ahead to what’s next. I’m looking forward to more robust conversations at 9:00 a.m. in the Parish Hall on Sunday!  

See you then, 

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