Online Sundays at 9:30 a.m.

  550 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95401  ·   (707) 579-2604  ·   Give

Church of the Incarnation
  • Welcome
  • About Us
    • Visit Incarnation
    • What We Believe
    • Clergy and Staff
    • Vestry
    • Our History and Building
    • St. Andrew's Mission, Monte Rio
  • Worship
    • Worship Online
    • Outdoor Services
    • Sacraments and Celebrations
    • Music
    • Sermons
  • Grow
    • Children
    • Youth
    • Adults
    • Numina
  • Serve
    • Ways to Serve
    • Sunday Open Table Breakfast
    • Incarnation 100
    • Heavenly Treasures Gift & Thrift Shop
    • More Outreach Ministries
  • Connect
    • News & Notes
    • 2021 Pledge Drive
    • Becoming a Member
    • Member Login
    • Contact Us
  • Give

A Message from the Senior Warden

Dear Friends,

As I write this, Sonoma County is going through a transformation: the smoke is being blown out; the numerous arms of the Glass Incident Fire are winnowing down to a handful of remote hotspots; the roads that were closed to allow first responders exclusive access are reopening; and the RAIN is coming (thank God!).

I know from personal experience how otherworldly the first trip back to a burned-out home is. The denuded landscape is reminiscent of what is so familiar, but irrevocably changed, all at the same time. That first trip home brings a review of what was lost, but more important, what was preserved…. A home still standing is a gift from God, yet even the discovery of Christmas iconography among a field of ashes gives those who lost their home a moment of Grace in the love of God. This ability for men and women of Christ, fallen, imperfect creatures, to find hope in whatever God has left them, is undeniably part of what it means to be made in the image of God.

In many ways, the coronavirus pandemic and the fallout from social distancing compels your Vestry to review our congregation’s financial health in a similar way. Thanks be to God, many of our parishioners have maintained their incomes, and thus their ability to maintain, or even increase, their pledges. Still, other parishioners have found their income reduced; moreover, our ability to reach new parishioners is less than what it would be in “normal” times. These and other items, as explained in the enclosed report by Treasurer David Jasper, point to a necessary and sobering reevaluation of the financial health of our church. We have to be realistic about what our pledges, and therefore our budget, can accomplish.

The Vestry, in the next few months, will fulfill its goal to limit our annual draw from the Don and Maureen Green Fund to 7% of its value. We must find the ability to live within our means, that which God has given us as a worship community—and that means not taking resources from our future parishioners to supplement our worship and programs today. We can no longer operate with our budget derived from the expense side. We need to understand how much we will take in first, then fund our programs accordingly. Simply put, for the first time in five years, our budget will be determined by pledge income.

We need to accept that expecting more than God has given us in the moment is unfair to those who come after us. This means that we need to give to the best of our ability today; yet even if we do give as much as we can, we must still be prepared for God to leave us less than what we hoped for. As Stephen said in his October 4th News and Notes article, 2020 has felt like a year out of Job. As God helps Job “resist easy answers,” we, too, must be prepared to resist easy answers and put our faith in God, trusting that He will give us exactly what we need.
In peace,

Mark Neumann
Senior Warden
October 5, 2020

Share this page: A Message from the Senior Warden
2021 Pledge Drive Make your 2021 Pledge A Message from the Senior Warden A Message from Pastor Stephen 2020 Financial Review Proportional Giving

© 2021 Church of the Incarnation
550 Mendocino Ave · Santa Rosa, CA 95401
(707) 579-2604
Privacy Policy · Powered by Membership Vision

  View Entire Post

Service Times

Our Sunday services are online at 9:30 a.m. each week. Join us!

On the first Sunday of the month, you can also join us outdoors on the church lawn.

Location

Church of the Incarnation
550 Mendocino Ave
Santa Rosa, CA 95401

Contact Us
(707) 579-2604

Newsletter Signup

Welcome Getting Here Children The Service What's Next?

People decide to visit a church for lots of different reasons, often because they're at some sort of transition point in their lives. Maybe you're a longtime Episcopalian; maybe you have experience in another faith tradition; or maybe you've never been to a faith community at all.

Whoever you are, and wherever you are on your spiritual journey, you enrich us with your presence, and there's a place for you here.

Learn more about visiting Incarnation.

Incarnation is located at 550 Mendocino Avenue in downtown Santa Rosa, just south of the corner with Cherry Street.

Our church parking lot is located around the corner at 636 Cherry Street. The lot often fills up for our 9:00 and 11:15 a.m. services. Additional free church parking is available in the small gravel lot at the corner of Mendocino and Cherry, or in the city garage at 521 7th Street (free on Sundays), which is a two-minute walk from the church. Finally, street parking is also free on Sundays.

We're also located close to several bus lines, and we have a bike rack in the central courtyard.

Children aren't just the church's future—they're an essential part of our faith community right now. At Incarnation we strive to serve our kids' growing faith, and we know they have much to teach adults, too. Children are always welcome in worship: any age, any time.

Learn more about our children's ministries.

Episcopal worship follows an ancient pattern that dates to the earliest days of the Christian church. The first half of the Eucharist is the Liturgy of the Word the second half is the Liturgy of the Table, also called Holy Communion. If you've spent time in Episcopal, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, or Eastern Orthodox churches, much of our liturgy will seem familiar. If you're unfamiliar with liturgical Christian worship, don't worry. You're welcome to participate as fully as is right for you, or to just relax into the liturgy and let the rest of the congregation carry you in worship.

Click here for online worship, or to learn more about Episcopal worship.

To stay connected with everything that's going on, please subscribe to our e-newsletter, News and Notes.

Often someone who's been visiting for a while will ask us how to become a member of Incarnation. Learn more about becoming a member.

To support our work sharing God's love here in Sonoma County, you can make a donation online.

Giving is one of the most powerful spiritual practices in existence. It's a statement of gratitude and trust in God.

At Incarnation we encourage all our members and friends to prayerfully choose a percentage of their income to give toward causes that serve God's mission. We ask that part of that intentional giving be a pledge of financial support to the parish, both so our leadership can plan ahead in making a budget, and as a tangible commitment to what God is doing here at Incarnation. For more on the practice of proportional giving, see this FAQ.

You can make a donation to Incarnation online, toward your pledge or as a special offering, by clicking "Give Online" below.

Give Online