My beloved Mt. Tam Church,
The winter sun is deceptive, isn’t it? The enticing brightness lures us into thinking it’s balmy outside, when in fact it’s chilly and staying out long isn’t always possible. Yet how I love winter sun! Though I am missing rain because we need it, I adore watching the sun pour over Ring Mountain at dawn as I step out to get the newspapers and covet the beautiful sunsets over Mt. Tamalpais that graces the early evening. It’s a lovely time of year, even in the cold, for the world is kissed by the promise of the sun.
The word promise has rich meanings, from potential and capability” to “assurance” to vow and pledge.” For Mt. Tam Church, 2020 will be a year rich in all these meanings of promise. As we explore our capacity and potential to fund the proposed renovations and revitalization of Fellowship Hall. As we seek assurance with one another by the power of the Holy Spirit that this is how God is guiding us. Each of us will be asked to make a pledge of support and financial giving to finance the revitalization. The Vision 2020 capital campaign is underway this month as the Mission Strategist, Terry Goolsby, conducts a feasibility study, which will allow us to know our capacity for giving. This crucial step is the foundation for everything else we will do for Fellowship Hall and the years to come.
When we join, the church as members, and when we are baptized as Christ’s own, either promises were made on our behalf and/or we make those promises ourselves. We make vows, promises, which offer us the assurance of our place as God’s beloved, our promise. We pledge to support the church with our “prayers, presence, witness, services and our gifts, our capacity.” May God bless these promises that we may rise to the promise that God is giving us in the abundance and blessings we know as a congregation. God’s promise in Jesus is with us—just like that beautiful winter sun!
Peace,
Pastor Kim