Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy Name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
Counting Our Blessings
One of the lessons many of us learned in childhood is the importance of counting our blessings. It’s so easy in life to focus on the things we don’t have, on scarcity. It’s much more important to focus on appreciating the things we do have, on abundance.
If this is true for us as individuals, it is just as true for churches. We have sat through many vestry and finance meetings over the years where we worried about not having enough. The needs are always great. We know how true that is at St. Philip’s.
But it is important for us to step back for a moment and, well, count our blessings. We are experiencing so many blessings right now.
- We have new members who are bringing new energy and new gifts.
- We have new ministries like the men’s fellowship and social justice committee.
- We have accomplished amazing progress in repairing and improving our property and grounds.
- We have regular fellowship and education events for all ages.
- We continue to reach out in love to our community through Neighborhood House, Lighthouse (SOS), Bound Together, St. Peter’s, the Red Cross blood drives, and more.
When we count these blessings, we realize how truly blessed and fortunate we are.
This Fall we invite you to join us in counting our blessings as individuals and as a church. As we remember God’s abundant blessings, may our hearts be full of joy and gratitude. We thank you for your continued generosity in giving back by giving to St. Philip’s. Your pledge of support means that we can continue to bless our members and our wider community through worship, education, and action. As we experience and appreciate God’s abundance, we can share that abundance with everyone we meet.
Please prayerfully consider your pledge for 2024. Our ingathering Sunday will be All Saints’ Sunday, November 5. You can bring your pledge card to the service, mail it to the office or pledge online. If you are interested in setting up an automatic gift from your bank, or in donating stock or using your Required Minimum Distribution from an IRA or 401(k), please call Jayne Zellers in the office on Wednesdays to find out how.
Finally, we encourage you also to consider naming St. Philip’s in your will or estate documents. Legacy gifts are a great way to ensure that we continue to pass on our values and generosity for generations to come.
Yours faithfully,
Eric M. Williams, Rector
Jonathan Lindley, Stewardship Chair
