Gratitude! We are grateful for your generous gifts!
In a recent conversation, I was asked “What do you mean by a culture of generosity?” It got me thinking about the culture at Westminster as it relates to generosity. How do we see our church’s culture? Generosity is so much more than financial giving. It is the fruit of God’s grace in our lives which leads us to “consider others before ourselves”, to give up something for another person, to seek transformation in our lives and the lives of those around us.
We are a generous people. When COVID-19 hit last year and many of our neighbors and community partners faced job loss, food shortage, and financial crises, we acted – from our hearts. Some of us gave up our stimulus checks. Many of us responded generously because of God’s gift of grace and blessing in our lives. When Camp Henry faced a seemingly insurmountable financial hurdle because of COVID, we responded because we know the spiritual impact that camp has had on the youth of Westminster and other youth, on us, and on the lives of our children and grandchildren. And even though our church building was closed for more than a year and we were not able to worship in person, we faithfully shared our financial resources and kept our pledge commitments. Why? Because God’s grace in our lives compels us to be generous.
Financials as of June show the following compared with last year at this time:
Pledges and gifts 2021 $621,437 (48%) 2020 $630,012 (47%)
Expenses 2021 $676,915 (44%) 2020 $644,446 (42%)
For each of you who have already given, thank you! For those who anticipate giving, we are grateful! If you have yet to make a financial contribution, be encouraged to participate in the culture of generosity! By God’s grace through us, we will reach our stewardship goal and reach our budgeted expenses.
In addition to current pledges and gifts, we anticipate more than $100,000 in gifts from Westminster members who have remembered us through their estates. Honestly, these are amazing gifts and reminders of the generosity that flows from hearts of gratitude long after they have joined the church triumphant. Think about it!
Thank you for your commitment to supporting the life-changing ministry at Westminster.
With deep gratitude,
Cheryl Bremer
Elder for Stewardship
For more detailed information on the 2021 approved budget and where we stand as of June 30, please contact Kathy Cisler at kathrync@wpcgr.org or 616-717-5533.