A Message from the Senior Warden
The seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
Dear friends,
When I think about seasons it’s usually about the weather. Having lived in the midwest as well as the east coast, the transitions, season to season, were distinct. The first hard frost. Crunching autumn leaves under my feet. Snowdrops poking up through melting snow. Moving to California’s moderate climate was a huge adjustment to one who still can’t get over green winters, and so checking the calendar has made more sense than checking the weather report.
The seasons in Ecclesiastes, however, relate the rhythms and routines not of calendars or the weather, but matters of human life and spirit. These past two years have thrown us all off-course and forced us to rethink our daily routines, expectations, and future plans—our own “seasons.”
And now, as a parish we enter into our “Season for Giving”— giving thanks to God for all we have accomplished this past year and for the abundant harvest that will enable us to do more in the coming year.
We give thanks to you for your continued generous support of our ministries and programs. You have stepped up, during these uncertain times, to fortify our resources and enable our church to build community, fund improvements to our beautiful campus, and overcome challenges large and small. Seeds that have been planted are already showing robust growth, but there are many more yet to plant. God’s mission happens inside our church, where we worship and learn and grow as disciples, but God’s mission also happens on the streets, in the schools, in the neighborhoods, and at the workplaces outside our buildings.
While it may seem like an odd time to plant anything—what with drought…threat of wildfires… continuing COVID…climate unpredictability—this is exactly the right time, because the seeds we are planting are not dependent on weather but on love and faith.
As church leaders it’s our role to make sure that the financial resources so generously given by our members truly accomplish our mission. Making a pledge now enables our vestry and finance committee to plan more accurately and empowers our ministries to grow and thrive.
I hope you will join me during our Season for Giving in pledging financial support for God’s mission at Incarnation.
Agápē,
Inese Heinzel
Senior Warden
October 3, 2021
