10/11/26 Announcements
It was Vision Sunday at Englewood today! Our once-a-year conversation where we discuss our progress toward our long-term goals, what we'll focus on in 2027, and the financial support needed to make our vision a reality for our community.
If you were not able to join us in person today, I invite you to either watch our full service or the edit of our Vision Sunday conversation so that you are in the loop with all that is happening and coming up at Englewood!
Click here to watch today's full service
Click here for our Vision Sunday presentation to listen to or share
Next week, we will continue our conversations about Community Impact this month. We will focus on stewarding sacred space to meet our community's needs.
Vision Sunday Links
We introduced a new online sign-up system today during Vision Sunday. There are now two tablets on the Welcome Desk that you can use to access our Sign Up Central. You can also access our online sign-ups on our website or by clicking the blue button below.
If you have any questions about this new system, please reach out! I am happy to help answer questions and offer support so that you can get comfortable with this update.
We shared our financial need for 2027 today in our Vision Sunday presentation. You will recieve letters in the mail with paper pledge cards that can be filled out and placed in the offering basket during communion time one of the next two Sundays. These pledge cards help us to finalize our budget for next year's ministry and outreach plans.
You can also fill out your 2027 pledge card digitally by clicking the button below.
Fill out your 2027 Digital Pledge Card
Finally, as you listened to our Vision Sunday presentation today, please let me know if you are interested in volunteering or getting involved. I would love to help you get plugged in!
Sandwich Ministry Needs
Over the last couple of months, you all have done an amazing job of stocking our sandwich ministry with peanut butter and jelly! In fact, you have done such a great job that we are shifting our focus to the need for sponsorship of bread.
We buy 20 loaves of bread each week to make 200 sandwiches for Camp Hope. The estimated cost is $30 per week, and you can sponsor a week of bread by clicking the button below to visit our online giving portal. Select the Sandwich Ministry from the drop-down menu on the top line. (See example in the photo below).
Click to Sponsor a Week of Bread
Kids Connection Updates
Lori Birge is going to be teaching our kids how to play handbells in hopes that they can learn a couple of Christmas songs to play during our December 20th service. If your kids are interested in participating, practices will start on Sunday, October 25th during Coffee Hour in the Fireside Room.
Upcoming Events
Next Sunday is the Finch Family Concert at 2 PM. This concert is free to attend, but donations will be accepted at the door.
New Book Club Selection: Backslide by Robert P. Jones.
Here is the book description: What happens when the church trades faith for power, and democracy for dominion? In this searing book, Robert P. Jones names our moment for what it is: a great Backslide. White Christianity’s devotion to Donald Trump and Christian nationalism is not only a regression into authoritarian politics but a profound act of apostasy- a betrayal of the best of the Christian tradition.
Through reflections on history, his upbringing in the white evangelical South, and decades of social science research, Jones lays bare the roots of this collapse and the dangers it poses for our future. He takes us inside a faith tradition marked by an impoverished relationship to the Bible, a rejection of a genuine search for truth, and an upside-down world where empathy is considered a vice. Yet amid the wreckage, Jones finds signs of hope in efforts to remake our national holiday rituals and recover a Christianity that remains committed to democracy.
Timely and unflinching, Backslide is essential reading for anyone unwilling to surrender the soul of faith or the promise of democracy. A prophetic summons to moral responsibility, it reminds us that time is short for deciding which Christianity, and which America, will prevail.
Mark your calendars for our virtual book discussion on Monday, November 9th at 6:30 PM.
Click here to see all upcoming events on our website.
Joys and Concerns
Be thinking about Pam Schmidt as she recovers from hip replacement surgery this past week.
Hold those who are traveling in your heart this week.
We have several members of our faith community who have been dealing with illness this week.
Continue to keep those impacted by immigration enforcement in our community in your prayers this week.
As always, if you need anything this week or there is any way that I can support you- please reach out to me.
Blessings,
Christie
