Dear Siblings in Christ:

Grace, peace, and mercy to you all from Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

----2 Corinthians 9:6-7

Building a Culture of Generosity is the theme of our fall stewardship appeal.  This theme points us to the generosity that we have not only witnessed in and through Christ, but also around our church in these last months, and more than that it also points us to know that we can grow into this in even more profound ways.

As we continue to move toward the other side of perhaps the worst national crisis of our lifetimes, we all have stories to tell of acts of generosity and we all have stories to share about how important this faith community is to us, even as we had to engage in social isolation.  We needed worship.  We needed to check in with each other.  We need our congregation to remain strong and vibrant.

Our grateful response in generosity helps to demonstrate to us and to the world around us that in fact God has provided us everything and we have enough, even enough to share.

In the weeks ahead, you will be hearing more about some of the generosity that we have been experiencing and participating in at Mount Cross and our hopes for an even more robust ministry next year.

Many of us are still recovering from the economic downturn that resulted from shutting down the country for so many weeks.  At the same time, we emerge knowing that we can make a difference and we have a shared vision that this congregation, and the ministries we support are more important than ever.  

So, in the coming weeks, please engage the materials.  Pray about how you can become more generous.  Then, on October 25th, declare your generosity on the intent card contained in this envelope in the pre-stamped envelope by mail or if you wish, you can email your financial support intentions to the office via email. Simply send it to office@mountcrosstlutheran.org.

Thank you for being part of this exciting congregation.  Pray for our common work together as we continue to reach out with the Gospel. 

Sincerely in Christ,