Across the seven days in a typical week, it’s common to feel a gamut of emotions—perhaps stress about your workload, joy about certain successes, sadness about a loss, and even excitement for something you’re anticipating. Oddly enough though, the single human emotion that is most healing, peaceful, and restorative is the one that readily falls outside of our focus. Gratitude. Gratitude requires a little more of us—more reflection, prayer, and the mindful counting of our blessings, even those that are harder to recognize. Most importantly, gratitude requires of us an open and grateful heart. From a grateful heart, our perceptions of life and the world can change from dark to light, from empty to full, and from lacking to abundant.
With this in mind, we invite you to set aside time and space for gratitude within the busyness of your typical week. This practice invites the question, “What are you truly grateful for?” We hope that you will find that you share with us a deep sense of gratitude, of heartfelt thanksgiving, for our rich and robust faith community that connects us together as the Living Body of Christ at Calvary Church. For each of us at one time or another, Calvary has undoubtedly been a powerful part of our lives’ highs and lows, our weekly worship, our celebrations, and our most meaningful spiritual milestones.
From your grateful heart, and for this place of worship that unites us as one, the members of the Stewardship Committee graciously ask you to prayerfully consider a pledge to Calvary’s 2024 Stewardship Campaign. Unlike the Capital Campaign that aims to sustain the infrastructure of Calvary Church for future generations of faithful Christians, the Grateful Hearts Stewardship Campaign focuses on the present—specifically on the funds required to support the day-to-day operational costs that keep our Church thriving for all who walk through its doors. Therefore, we seek your generosity through the form of a monetary pledge to Calvary Church for the year of 2024. The Grateful Hearts Stewardship Campaign begins on September 24 on Rally Sunday and will conclude on November 5 as we celebrate the Feast of All Saints.
The ways in which you can pledge to the Grateful Hearts Stewardship Campaign are simple. You can complete and return the pledge card attached to this appeal letter, you can conveniently submit your pledge electronically at calvarypgh.org/annual-appeal-2024, or you can pledge via the digital QR code provided. Whichever method of pledging you prefer, your monetary pledge is both given and received with immense gratitude. Additionally, alongside your pledge, please write your name (and the names of your family members) on the card-stock heart cut-out you received with this letter and return it to Calvary. Your labeled card-stock heart will be displayed in the Parish Hall to honor your generosity of heart and spirit to the 2024 Grateful Hearts Stewardship Campaign of Calvary Church.
In our post-pandemic world, it is more important than ever to channel gratitude each and every day. We must prioritize gratitude within our daily routines and prayers, and express our thankfulness to others—especially the Calvary community, the Living Body of Christ that is ever-present, and ever-ready to respond to the needs and petitions of its faithful and generous members.
Yours in Faith,
The Rector and Stewardship Committee of Calvary Church
If you have any questions or would like information about how to make a financial commitment to Calvary for 2024,
please contact Director of Finance Lynda Kennedy by phone (412-661-0120 ext. 113) or email (lkennedy@calvarypgh.org).
Please pledge online using the link above or mail your pledge card to Annual Appeal, Calvary Episcopal Church, 315 Shady Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15206-4388
