|
 A letter from our Transitional Pastor, Rev. Dr. Scott M. Kenefake
The physical premise of God’s creation rests on our interconnectedness. God insists that we cannot exist in isolation. – Martha Tatarnic
Dear Friends,
Our 2025 Stewardship theme this year is Connect. I am wondering, what are you connected to? Family? Friends? School? Church? Music? Community? Team? Political Party?
As you know, for the past several decades, participation in voluntary organizations of all kinds (religious institutions, civic organizations, and recreational groups) has been on the decline in the United States. A few generations ago we were known as a society of “joiners,” but today we are better known for disaffiliating from voluntary organizations.
There are, of course, a variety of reasons for this: individualism, consumerism, social media, and the forced isolation of the pandemic, among others. But the result of all this has been an epidemic of loneliness.
Post-pandemic, it’s as if we as a society have collectively decided that the groups and organizations we previously belonged to and found life-giving are no longer meeting our needs but we have no idea what to replace them with. We are searching for something, but we aren’t sure exactly what that something is.
And yet, our churches, synagogues, and mosques still stand. People still come to worship, pray, serve, and study together. Why? Because people need a sense of transcendence in their lives, and this is best experienced in community—through connecting with other people and rubbing shoulders with people who are different than they are.
In my mind, this is a kind of miracle where people voluntarily join together and pool their resources to create places where community can thrive, and lifetime connections are made to sustain one another through the joys and sorrows of life.
And so, I am asking for your generous financial support as we seek to strengthen the connections that bind us together as a community of faith. Good things are happening at House of Hope Presbyterian Church! The HVAC and electrical construction project is now complete, and there is a renewed commitment to hospitality and neighborliness, among many other signs of growth and vitality.
I look forward to seeing many of you at the Stewardship kick-off Celebration Sunday, November 3 after worship and on Stewardship Sunday, November 10. Thanks in advance for all that you do for HOH!
Blessings,
Scott Kenefake, Transitional Pastor
|
