“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. (Matthew 7:24,26)
Built on the Rock
When I was a child growing up in Southern California, my favorite place was the beach. Many summer days, my mom would take my brother and me to play by the ocean. I can’t tell you how many sand castles we built over the years, but I can tell you this—none of them lasted more than one afternoon. By the time we were ready to leave, there was nothing left of our castles but water and sand.
Jesus reminds us that our faith needs to be built not on sand, but on a sure foundation, Christ the cornerstone. That foundation has lasted through two thousand years. This year, in fact, we celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed—a key part of the stability of our faithful proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
At St. Philip’s this Fall we are engaging in discernment about undertaking a capital campaign, an effort that would start next year to raise money to ensure the stability of our building, programs, and worship. I hope you will participate in the discussions we hold over the next few weeks.
Fall is also the time when we ask our members to make a financial pledge of support for the coming year. I invite you to consider prayerfully your annual pledge of support to the church. Your generosity enables us to carry out the ministry that God has given us to do. It’s an exciting time as we develop our programs for kids, deepen our faith through education for all ages, reach out to our neighbors in loving service and outreach, and gather to praise God.
Our pledge ingathering will be Sunday, November 9. Bring your pledge card to church that day, or mail it in. You can also make your pledge or other special gifts online at stpfeeds.org/giving. Thank you so much for all of the ways you are continuing to build a solid foundation of faith both now and for generations to come.
Faithfully,
Eric M. Williams, Rector
