Foundation Day 26 June 2022

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  Jeremiah 29.11

Foundation Day is about our future.  When we take up the offering, which the Primate’s Council has required of all our churches and missions, we are putting in front of us the reality that we have a future, and it is in the hands of the God we can trust.  We put our faith and hope in a God who is faithful in keeping His promise.  He is a God whose steadfast love endures forever.

For me, the recent “Church Growth Conference” was not a boost in the arm but rather a “fanning of the flame.”  It was a recalling that the vision given to us of a mighty river is a vision given to us by God.  The fact that the vision is from God is reason enough to find the task of convergence not only worthy but compelling.   The Foundation Day Offering is an act of faith, not a fundraising project.

We have accomplished a lot with the funds that have been raised from the generosity of God’s people.   Buildings have been refurbished and purchased.  Even today, there is money invested in an incredible project in Bel Air, Maryland.  These buildings speak of our future.  They are visible signs of the vision.

But it is more than just property and buildings.  It is a vision of lives that are transformed in the presence of God as His people praise Him in the Eucharistic Feasts.  It is a vision of families being strengthened and built up.  It is a vision of young adults being built up and equipped for the work of the ministry both in the Church and in the world.  It is a vision of reaching the least, the lost, and the lonely with the message of mercy and salvation.  It is a vision of being light in the darkness.  It is about Jesus and His glory.

A short video will be provided with more details of the Offering.  You can also go to CEC-NA and see a full accounting of the funds and reports on what has been accomplished.

We have come out of the pandemic.  Or at least we are on the other side of the crisis.  It was a tough time for everyone.  Many suffered from fear, depression, anxiety, and hopelessness.  Many died.  For the pastors of our churches, it was perhaps the most challenging time in their ministry.  I hear over and over again how exhausted they feel.  But we are on the other side.  And we can proclaim Jesus did not leave us or forsake us.

We did not just survive.  I believe we have been placed in a position of revival.  A time of renewing in our souls what God has planted.  It is a time of trust and hope because God has given us a plan and a future.  Let your offering be generous and in response to the love of Jesus for us.

Under His mercy,

+Craig, Patriarch