Celebrating Generosity This Stewardship Weekend

11
Nov

Online Statement of Intent (Click here)

This weekend, November 12-13, is Stewardship Celebration Weekend, a time when we lift up the faith habit of generosity and respond by presenting our Statements of Intent for 2023 giving during worship.

We invite you to complete your Statement of Intent and present it at the altar with other offerings as part of worship this Saturday and Sunday, November 12-13. You may also mail your response directly to the church office at 3312 Silver Lake Rd., Saint Anthony, MN 55418, or submit it online.

As Nativity moves into the future and strives to accomplish key mission initiatives, increased generosity will have a significant impact. A generous member has offered an additional $15,000 gift if we receive 200 Statements of Intent.

We all walk individual journeys of generosity. Over the last weeks you have been invited to consider what the next step of this journey involves for you. As we prepare for Stewardship Celebration Weekend, we invite you to pray about increasing your offering for 2023, and to pray for Nativity’s ministry as we answer God’s call to love courageously and live generously.

Thank you for your prayerful consideration.

MINISTRY INITIATIVES

As we look ahead to 2023 and beyond, increased generosity totaling $2500 per week will substantially support and deepen our ministry. With that expansion of giving, we will:

GROW in Our Relationship with God

Nativity will grow faithful disciples among all ages.

Your generosity will build on our impactful faith formation ministry with an increased investment leading to:

  • Young people experiencing God’s love though more dedicated youth programming;
  • Adults from ages 18 to 118 growing in faith with more classes and discipleship opportunities like our “Listening for God” classes;
  • Generations supporting each other in faith through intergenerational learning and service experiences.

In the coming months, we will share the specifics of the exciting opportunities ahead. Together, we will experience God’s presence in powerful ways.

LOVE Our Neighbor

As a spiritual community, we move our faith into action and our love into practice by a commitment to love our neighbors.

Your generosity will make a difference:

  • A family at risk for homelessness will have an affordable home and support services as Nativity partners with Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative to make possible the building of one apartment at the new Gladstone Crossing Development in Maplewood;
  • Investment in a new Department of Public Ministry will help us learn more about how we can answer God’s call to love our neighbors in the world today.

Together, we will have a deeper understanding of our place in the world while taking direct action to benefit others.

STRENGTHEN Connections

The pandemic disrupted our connection to one another. We faithfully stepped into the challenge. Now, as we build on our strong ministry, we will take the next steps to becoming the future church. Your generosity will allow us to expand our capacity to connect people’s gifts and passions with God’s work at Nativity.

  • More people will grow in self-identity and self-worth as they clarify their spiritual gifts and passions. Classes make this possible.
  • More people will experience the satisfaction of meaningful service through improved means of connecting gifts and passions to volunteer opportunities.
  • People will feel more connected to one another through improved communications and will be inspired by one another as we do a better job of sharing our “faith stories” of how God is working in our lives.

We will experience the joy of growing together in community and being a part of a vibrant ministry.

We follow God’s call to become a future church, ready to step into the opportunities that God places before us. Thank you for being part of Nativity at such an exciting time. We encourage you to pray for our work together and to bring your Statement of Intent to worship for this Stewardship Weekend.

In Faith,

Pastor Glenn Seefeldt