"If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit." Galatians 5:25
2021 Financial Update
What a joy it has been to see you all at church this year! Throughout 2021 I have had the privilege of seeing both returning parishioners for in-person worship and welcoming visitors and new members into our church family.
Coming out of the pandemic, the vestry, staff and I have been focused on welcoming people back safely to church, worshipping the Lord in the beauty of holiness, and reorienting our finances and ministry toward growth and outreach. I feel that these three goals help us to fulfill our church mission statement to be “a biblically faithful community that connects people to Christ through love in action.”
With that in mind, in May we welcomed the talented Kevin Dailey as our new Worship Leader. Kevin has not only brought his passion and gifts for leading worship, but has helped us to update and streamline our audio-visual equipment. These fixes and upgrades are helping us to worship with less distraction both online and in person.
This summer we promoted Becca Rivas to Director of Family Ministry and Membership and we hired Deborah Graeflin as the Assistant Director of Family Ministry. Becca and Deborah have hit the ground running revamping our Kids worship and reengaging our students on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. I am so delighted to be a part of a church that prioritizes passing on the good news to the next generation.
At the end of September, we launched a new worship service for young families called Family Worship that meets at 9:30 every Sunday in the Student Center. The attendance and energy of this service has far exceeded our expectations!
And finally, we hired the Rev. Desmond Goonesekera as our Associate Rector for Pastoral Care. Desmond has been such a blessing as he shares his wisdom and his gifts with me and our church community. Not only does he preach the Gospel with boldness and faithfulness, but he truly cares for the well-being of our parish.
In the eighth chapter of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus “went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women… and many others, who provided for them out of their means.” It is important to note that provision for the work of ministry followed the ministry itself; it did not precede it. In other words, the Gospel was preached, people were cared for and then the generosity followed. They wanted to give in response to the healing power of Jesus.
I believe that making a financial pledge to Holy Apostles is a response to how the Holy Spirit is working through our ministry. Giving is a response to grace, not the price of admission. The staff, vestry and volunteers of this church have worked hard throughout the pandemic to stay focused on worship and discipleship. And thanks be to God we are already seeing the fruit of this with new ministries and new members.
Enclosed your will find a pledge card for 2022. I ask that your prayerfully consider how much of your 2022 income you can set aside for the work of the Gospel at COTHA. Your clergy, vestry and staff are committed to the tithe, giving ten percent of our yearly income back to God. However, I realize that not everyone is there yet and we understand that. But for those who can, I encourage you to move toward the tithe, increasing the percentage of your giving each year in faithfulness to God and for the building up of the church.
To make you pledge please go to cotha.org/pledge or fill out the enclosed card and bring it to church by Sunday, November 14th. You can also check out our Frequently Asked Questions page at www.cotha.org/pledgefaqs
If you have any other questions or concerns about your giving, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or our administrator, Donna Matthews at alex@cotha.org or donna@cotha.org. We would both be happy to speak with you.
Coming out of the pandemic, the vestry, staff and I have been focused on welcoming people back safely to church, worshipping the Lord in the beauty of holiness, and reorienting our finances and ministry toward growth and outreach. I feel that these three goals help us to fulfill our church mission statement to be “a biblically faithful community that connects people to Christ through love in action.”
With that in mind, in May we welcomed the talented Kevin Dailey as our new Worship Leader. Kevin has not only brought his passion and gifts for leading worship, but has helped us to update and streamline our audio-visual equipment. These fixes and upgrades are helping us to worship with less distraction both online and in person.
This summer we promoted Becca Rivas to Director of Family Ministry and Membership and we hired Deborah Graeflin as the Assistant Director of Family Ministry. Becca and Deborah have hit the ground running revamping our Kids worship and reengaging our students on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. I am so delighted to be a part of a church that prioritizes passing on the good news to the next generation.
At the end of September, we launched a new worship service for young families called Family Worship that meets at 9:30 every Sunday in the Student Center. The attendance and energy of this service has far exceeded our expectations!
And finally, we hired the Rev. Desmond Goonesekera as our Associate Rector for Pastoral Care. Desmond has been such a blessing as he shares his wisdom and his gifts with me and our church community. Not only does he preach the Gospel with boldness and faithfulness, but he truly cares for the well-being of our parish.
In the eighth chapter of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus “went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women… and many others, who provided for them out of their means.” It is important to note that provision for the work of ministry followed the ministry itself; it did not precede it. In other words, the Gospel was preached, people were cared for and then the generosity followed. They wanted to give in response to the healing power of Jesus.
I believe that making a financial pledge to Holy Apostles is a response to how the Holy Spirit is working through our ministry. Giving is a response to grace, not the price of admission. The staff, vestry and volunteers of this church have worked hard throughout the pandemic to stay focused on worship and discipleship. And thanks be to God we are already seeing the fruit of this with new ministries and new members.
Enclosed your will find a pledge card for 2022. I ask that your prayerfully consider how much of your 2022 income you can set aside for the work of the Gospel at COTHA. Your clergy, vestry and staff are committed to the tithe, giving ten percent of our yearly income back to God. However, I realize that not everyone is there yet and we understand that. But for those who can, I encourage you to move toward the tithe, increasing the percentage of your giving each year in faithfulness to God and for the building up of the church.
To make you pledge please go to cotha.org/pledge or fill out the enclosed card and bring it to church by Sunday, November 14th. You can also check out our Frequently Asked Questions page at www.cotha.org/pledgefaqs
If you have any other questions or concerns about your giving, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or our administrator, Donna Matthews at alex@cotha.org or donna@cotha.org. We would both be happy to speak with you.
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2021 Monthly Update
2020 Actual and 2021 Budget
When we started 2020, no way could we have anticipated the challenges we would face during the year, but it is through your continued generosity in these difficult times that we remain able to keep our ministries whole so that we can accomplish the mission God has given us: a Biblically faithful community that connects people to Christ through love in action. The Vestry has faith that God provides through you so that we can continue His mission.
We have closed the books for 2020 and the results are below. You should have received your giving statement in the mail and can contact Donna Matthews at donna@cotha.org if you need an additional copy or have questions.
We want to keep our momentum going in this coming year and stay true to our mission, vision, values and growing as followers of Christ. The Vestry has approved the 2021 budget which keeps our Children and Student Ministries going full force. Adult Ministries and Outreach Programs are also supported.
BUT in order to do this, we have a line item in the budget called “GAP”. This represents the shortfall between the pledges and funding of the Ministry in 2021 at COTHA. These funds will come from you and me as God works through us. God has proven time and again that He will open our hearts and bless us when we give sacrificially. We ask that you pray that this giving will move from “unidentified” to “identified” enabling COTHA to work mightily in all our ministries. God will do amazing things for the church and for us individually.
As you read over the budget and 2021 updates below please pray that God will provide for all our ministries.
Grace and Peace,
Dr. Ucheoma Longe on behalf of the Vestry
nebechi2000@yahoo.co.uk, (832) 330-8458
We have closed the books for 2020 and the results are below. You should have received your giving statement in the mail and can contact Donna Matthews at donna@cotha.org if you need an additional copy or have questions.
We want to keep our momentum going in this coming year and stay true to our mission, vision, values and growing as followers of Christ. The Vestry has approved the 2021 budget which keeps our Children and Student Ministries going full force. Adult Ministries and Outreach Programs are also supported.
BUT in order to do this, we have a line item in the budget called “GAP”. This represents the shortfall between the pledges and funding of the Ministry in 2021 at COTHA. These funds will come from you and me as God works through us. God has proven time and again that He will open our hearts and bless us when we give sacrificially. We ask that you pray that this giving will move from “unidentified” to “identified” enabling COTHA to work mightily in all our ministries. God will do amazing things for the church and for us individually.
As you read over the budget and 2021 updates below please pray that God will provide for all our ministries.
Grace and Peace,
Dr. Ucheoma Longe on behalf of the Vestry
nebechi2000@yahoo.co.uk, (832) 330-8458
