Together Our Joy Overflows

We’ve had an exciting year of faith, community, hospitality, and justice, and we are overflowing with joy to see all that our congregation has accomplished! Last year’s goals of planting faith, growing disciples, and nurturing our soil have borne fruits of the Holy Spirit, and our Mt Zion family has grown stronger as a result. Thank you for your support!

• We established a Community team to organize social events to build connections with
  our neighbors, including participation in the Tosa Community Fair.
• We cared for our staff by providing a cost of living increase and team-building outings.
• We shared meals with each other to build connections within our Mt Zion family.

However, we did not accomplish all of our financial goals, and many of us were disappointed by our deficit budget in 2024. Even though we kept our expenses under budget and found a new renter during 2024, it was discouraging that we still needed to withdraw money from our Endowment Fund to make ends meet.

Our stewardship goal for this fall’s appeal is to increase our giving in 2025, such that (together with the Leadership Board’s goal of finding at least one significant new renter in 2025) we can balance our budget for 2025. Watch for bulletin inserts in the coming weeks to see how we can accomplish that—and more!

More? Absolutely! We must also continue to grow in faith as a people of God! Even as we seek to meet our financial needs, we are moving ahead with the ministries God has given us. Together our joy will overflow as we:

• Strengthen our welcome to our community and to social justice initiatives
• Improve communications (Grace Notes, website, etc) to increase attendance and volunteerism
• Enhance faith formation, including developing a new Confirmation curriculum

We know and trust that God has an ongoing vision for Mt Zion and the ministry that we do!

As part of the Appeal, you will be invited to consider increasing your offering for the coming year. Please pray about this request and do your best to respond generously as the Lord leads you. Sunday, November 17th, 2024, has been designated Appeal Commitment Sunday. Those who attend worship that Sunday may present their Statement of Intent card at that time. If you are not able to be at church on Appeal Commitment Sunday, you also are welcome to mail your Statement of Intent card, drop it off at the church office, or pledge online at mtzionlutheran.org/pledge. People from whom we have not received a response by December 1st will be contacted to assure that everyone has had the opportunity to present their offering plan for 2025. If you are not in worship to receive the bulletin inserts, you’ll be able to find them in your weekly digital copy of the Grace Notes or on our website.

Please pray about our congregation’s mission and ministry together. Pray about your offering for the next year. Ask God that our ministry will thrive and serve more of our neighbors. Ask God if your own giving can increase this coming year. Together our joy overflows as we live out God’s vision for Mt Zion, that everyone we meet will come to know themselves as a reflection of God’s image, worthy of life and love. Thank you for being a part of this vibrant congregation during this exciting time!

Sincerely,
The Stewardship Committee