Dear <>,
As we left the old year behind, many of us probably breathed a sigh of relief, and were maybe even tempted to mutter to 2023 under our breaths, “Don’t let the door hit you where the good Lord spl…” Let’s be real – 2023 was a hard year for us all. But we also began to taste some things that we might have forgotten or maybe had never experienced before.
- The Lord met us deeply when we lost Pastor John. We grieved together, remembered together, healed together.
- The Lord turned our faces upward. We worshiped together, prayed together, listened together.
- The Lord turned our attention inward. We studied together, conversed together, did soul care together.
- The Lord turned our hearts outward. We reached out together, made music together, cleaned parks and roads together.
- The Lord is breathing new life into us and energizing us and reviving us. Come, Holy Spirit!
This is your annual giving statement. I think that’s an appropriate word, because if I had to choose just one word to describe the beautiful community of love that we call Liberty Vineyard Church, “giving” hits the mark. You are so very giving, generous, gracious, and grateful in the way you lavishly share your time, talents, and treasure, your passion and prayer, your intelligence and energy! And now, dear brothers and sisters, as we start to become better acquainted with 2024, I want to encourage you to practice being present in the present in the presence of God. Let’s help one another to not give in to the anxieties of the age and keep on encouraging one another as we’ve been doing. Let’s roll up our sleeves, look 2024 square in the eye and say, “You don’t scare us – we’re focusing on the glory and majesty of God!” I love how Matthew 6:34 is rendered in The Message: “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
The Kingdom of God is more than we can imagine, beloved church fam, so much more! I can’t wait to see what God does in and through Liberty Vineyard in 2024. May God, who is ever faithful, give us the grace to follow Jesus faithfully, proclaiming and demonstrating the good news of the Kingdom by the power of the Holy Spirit. All glory to God!
If you have questions about this 2023 Tax statement, please contact us. It is our desire to have an open-door policy concerning our finances. As such, if you have any concerns or questions, please share those with us. Thank you again for investing your time, energy, and finances in what God is doing through Liberty Vineyard as we love God and people.
With you on the journey,
Karen Sculley for the Pastoral Care & Leadership Team
Pastor, Liberty Vineyard Church
(404) 388-0518