Dear Friends,
We always thank God for you, friends, because your faith is growing abundantly, and your love for one another is increasing. We are proud of your steadfastness and faith during all the afflictions that you have been enduring.
These words from II Thessalonians 1:3–4 were written by the ministry team of Paul, Sylvanus, and Timothy and sent to the church at Thessalonica; but they could just as well have been sent to the congregation in Kent! Our church has been steadfast and faithful throughout a challenging and turbulent time. Since the start of the pandemic, our worshipping congregation has grown and our commitment to the overall mission of the church has increased. The people of our church continue to be “difference-makers” in the world.
Be a Difference-Maker is the theme of this fall’s Stewardship Campaign—a time when we consider our personal commitment to the work of the church. There will be three special Sundays this month when we will have opportunity to reflect in particular ways about how we can make a difference.
- On Sunday, Oct. 17, we will have Spiritual Gift Inventories in worship. The inventory is a simple form on which you can indicate where you feel that God has equipped you for service and leadership in the church. You can fill out a physical form at church or a digital form online.
- On Sunday, Oct. 24, we will celebrate Consecration Sunday, when members and friends are invited to make a financial commitment to the work of Christ through our church for the coming year. You can do that by filling out an online pledge card.
- On Sunday, Oct. 31, we are blessed that Bishop Tracy Malone will be preaching at all three of our worship hours. Among other things, she will be talking about the difference we are making through our major commitment to help build a women’s dormitory at Africa University. There will be a luncheon with the bishop at 11:30 that day in Pierson Hall.
Over the past several years, people have made a difference in our church through two capital campaigns. The Music for the Soul campaign, to raise funds for a major renovation of our church organ, is nearing its final phase and is close to being fully funded. So far, we have replaced the organ console and done major renovations on the organ pipes and other operating elements. The last phase is the “releathering” of the organ—the replacement of more than 2000 leather flaps which control the air flow into each pipe. Many of our organ leathers date back to the 1950’s and have served their useful life. We expect this project to be completed in the fall of 2022. The more recent Grow Our Future campaign, to renovate our Education wing and to support our contribution to Africa University, is also mostly funded, and we expect that most parts of it will be accomplished by the end of this year. We encourage people who have made commitments to these campaigns to fulfill any remaining pledges, so that we can bring all these projects to a successful conclusion.
Going into 2022, we are launching a new capital campaign called Pave the Way. As you might guess, its goal is to resurface our parking lot! We last did this 25 years ago, and while we diligently maintained the lot, it is now at the point where it very much needs resurfacing. You can make a commitment to this campaign, as well as to the general ministry of the church, with the online pledge card. Thank you for making a difference in the ongoing work of our church!
In His Service,
Dr. David Palmer and the Stewardship Committee
God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.
II Corinthians 9:7–8