Dear friends in Christ,
As we journey through the month of October, our church family has been called by Pastor Trista to reflect upon our blessings, and to keep a journal of gratitude. The Spirit of Grace and Compassion is with us always, encouraging us to bring our whole heart to worship and to our shared work in our community and the world at large. We are invited in this way:
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NRSV
This past year and a half has been like no other in recent memory. Life as we have known it has changed. For many of us, fully engaging with life has been a daily challenge. It may be hard to see the present as a gift. We can recognize the big things in our lives that deserve thanks, but the little things go unnoticed far too often. In the past year and a half, everything seems huge. Disappointments are many. Why should we be thankful?
“Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity . . . it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” Melody Beattie
In times like these, we are grateful for our faith. It can be easy to overlook the blessing of our wonderful church family over this past year. We haven’t been able to gather as we normally would. We haven’t always been in each other’s presence; however, the true blessing is that we have remained there for each other. We are happy to report that even in the midst of the financial challenges of the pandemic, Tillamook UMC has continuously been blessed by your generosity. We are grateful for your ongoing support of the ministries offered through our church family.
The church is not just our beautiful building. Again and again, we who are connected to Tillamook UMC step up to the call to be the church. In our shared livingness and faithfulness to God’s calling, we are grateful and blessed. We continue to step up in times of trouble and chaos financially, spiritually, and in ministry.
Here are some of the ways your gifts have made a difference in the lives of our congregation and our community: Hiring a three-quarter time minister, successful Grub Club program, paving our parking lot, continuing to support the Food Pantry and TEC, restarting a community garden with the help of partnerships, welcome back in-person Head Start program, welcoming our new neighbors who reside at Holden Creek Village, creating an active website, and utilizing a technology grant to purchase equipment and training to live stream our worship services for individuals who cannot attend in-person worship.
Indeed, we are grateful for your continued support of our current ministries, and we look forward to co-creating with you in the coming year. As we look ahead and begin to dream together as those who have been entrusted with the financial caregiving of this church community, we give thanks for your faithful giving in this past year, and we invite you to prayerfully consider how you will offer your gifts of time, talents, finances and presence so that we can continue to deepen in our faith and joyfully care for our community as well as our worldwide partners in ministry.
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Give thanks in all circumstances. Why be grateful?
† When we are grateful, we are looking outward, not inward.
† When we are grateful, we are thinking of those who do not enjoy the privileges we enjoy.
† When we are grateful, we are more willing to give, to bless, and to pray.
† When we are grateful, we can’t help but remember God.
In a few short months, we will welcome a new year. A fresh start with a whole calendar year of opportunities. What will 2022 have in store for us? We can only imagine! We know that we will step into the new year with confidence in support of our church family once again.
This week, we invite you to bring, to mail in, or to fill out an online Estimate of Giving card. Please take the time to look into your heart and pray for the ongoing success of Tillamook UMC and its ministries. Our pledges are not financial contracts. They are a way for us to plan, predict, and expand our vision for all that we wish to do in 2022.
What we will accomplish in 2022 is only possible with the ongoing generosity of our church family. We need you to continue to share your time, talents, and treasures for Tillamook UMC to be able to share our ministries and outreach.
After you have prayerfully filled out your Estimate of Giving card, please mail it back to the church, send it via email to tillamookumc@gmail.com or deliver it to the church office. Our goal is to have as many of them back by “Grateful Giving Sunday” – October 24th, 2021. We will have a special time in our service that day for the collection of our Estimate of Giving Cards to be lifted in gratitude and blessing. You are welcome to bring them with you to worship on “Grateful Giving Sunday”.
2021 has been a difficult year, but we have been resilient. Thank you for being there for us and with us. Truly we are grateful for you!
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
With gratitude for your generosity,
Pastor Trista Wynne, Cecilia Dwigans, Debbie Klumph, Debby Hendrickson, Betty Hickey, and Steven Kershaw