April 23, 2009
Apr 24th, 2009 by ocfairview
Happy Earth Day!
I hope you were able to celebrate Earth Day yesterday –if only by acknowledging the sacred gift we are commissioned to care for –this blue ball that spins in the universe! What did you do to celebrate? Send me your Earth Day Observations and we’ll publish them in next month’s Innovator!
Here at Fairview we are celebrating Earth Week! Last week, you will have noted that we focused on Stewardship of Creation through our singing, sharing, and preaching – well, this week our choir is going to grace us with some lovely music focused on care of God’s Great Earth! How do you care for the earth? What’s your “best practice”? One of the little things I do is re-use the plastic cups I receive from Jack-in-the Box. Every day I get an ice tea (sometimes multiple times a day) and every day I bring in my cup. Just recently they switched my cup out on me – I think that they thought they were being nice by giving me a new cup. However, the truth was, as I tried to explain to them, I didn’t want a new cup –I like using my old cup, it is perfectly fine, and suits my need to fill it up with ice tea. It’s such a minor thing to do but it is one way I consciously make myself aware of the waste in our society and remind myself that I can alter my habits in a minor way to make even a small difference. After all, the more often we make choices that are environmentally friendly, the more likely it will be that we can shift our collective consciousness towards a greener world!
Not only was yesterday Earth Day, it was also Administrative Professional’s Day! We’ve got a wonderful Administrative Assistant in Cindy Condit. I’m sure that you’ll all join me in thanking her for her service! I cannot tell you how grateful I am that she’s managing our office! We’ve had some great secretaries in the past, we have certainly been blessed, but I am especially grateful to Cindy for her capable management, her strong work ethic, and her vibrant personality! I often joke that the only good thing that came out of the Prop 8 campaign, was that I found my other-half! One of the things I love most about Cindy is her heart –she has a heart for her job – a real care and concern for our congregation, and a shared commitment to the ministry we do in our community! So please join me in wishing her Happy Admin Professional’s Day! (send her an email at office@ocfairivewchurch.org)
Friends, we are coming upon our annual Pledge Day: May 3rd. You’ll be receiving a letter in the mail over the next day or two that will ask you to consider your gifts to Fairview Community Church . As we talk about what Stewardship means we are reminded that this is not you’re average fundraising drive –we’re not trying to “hit you up” for money. We are a community of people dedicated to living out the teachings of Jesus as Christians. It takes each of us to be the COMMUNITY of Fairview COMMUNITY Church . And for us to do so we are asked to give of ourselves. Stewardship is about caring for God’s community, because our church doesn’t really belong to us – somehow we’ve got to pay the bills, but more importantly than staying in the black and avoiding the red –is our belief that we are a people of God dedicated to making an impact with our ministry. So, I hope you’ll begin to consider what you can give to help us communally transform our community so that we can better serve God and God’s creation. Perhaps you are feeling a call to leadership in the church. Perhaps you want to work with our children. Maybe you’re interested in getting the word out about this wonderful little church! Or maybe you realize that you have the ability to give towards a new children’s classroom. Maybe you’re excited about the music program and the new choir and you want to be sure that our budget supports that choir. As we make plans for the next year, we need you to plan for Fairview in your life. We’ve already seen where we’re capable of going –we just need to get there! So help us to Stay the Course by pledging your time, talents, and financial gifts to the church you call home!
Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday!
