I am most pleased to share news about our Diocesan campaign,
Procession—Unified In Mission
.
When Bishop Howard brought the newly formed Diocesan Foundation Board together in 2013, he shared his vision of a transformed Church—one that is focused on mission, rather than maintenance, and that is moving forward—in Procession—together, developing strong and healthy Christian leadership skills in all members of our Diocesan community, to become better Disciples, and to Evangelize and Grow the Church.
This vision inspired our Foundation Board, and they decided to lead us in a Diocesan campaign:
Procession—Unified In Mission.
This campaign has been the catalyst for a conversation with many about the role of the Diocese as the fundamental unit of the Church. We are one church community with many micro-communities throughout North Florida, focused on discipleship and growth.
This campaign has also provided an opportunity to teach our greater community about the transforming act of generosity—of giving financial resources in gratitude for God’s abundant grace to us all, and to strengthen and sustain all of the ministries in our Diocese in their work of transformation.
Through our initial efforts of conversations and giving opportunities, we have raised over $13 million in gifts, pledges and bequests. While a large portion of this amount will be received as pledges are fulfilled, we have already seen many of our current programs strengthened and new ones created. And now, we have an even greater goal of sustaining excellent ministries AND building new churches in our Diocese in order to share the Good News to more people in Florida’s fast-growing northern counties. Already, we are seeing the fruits of this labor with significant gifts from several parishes to launch new ones.
It is time to take our campaign forward to the next level. With everyone participating in this campaign, we will fulfill our vision and transform many lives.
I invite you to watch the video about our campaign, which is embedded in this newsletter. It is a snapshot of a few of the ministries that this campaign supports and an invitation to learn more about how you can participate with your generosity.
Thank you for your participation with the
Procession—Unified In Mission
campaign. Within this newsletter are instructions on how you can contribute to this important effort. This is a call for greater generosity—generosity beyond your gifts to your local parish. We ask that you first give to your parish, and then to your Diocese. For those who have already contributed, thank you. I hope you will consider another gift in support of our collective vision. And for those who have yet to contribute, I ask you to prayerfully and generously respond to our call for support. Thank you very much.
Doug Walker