Dear Blessed Congregation:

Peace & Love to you. I wish all of you a blessed Fast.

Saint Augustine teaches us that “Fasting cleanses the soul, raises the mind, subjects one’s flesh to the spirit, renders the heart contrite and humble, scatters the clouds of concupiscence, quenches the fire of lust, and kindles the true light of chastity. Enter again into yourself.”

As all of you know the fast is not comprehensive without giving alms. However, the tithe is much more than just a practical way of supporting the church. The tithe is part of every Christian’s relationship with God. There is a spiritual aspect to the tithe that we often forget. When we give a portion of what God has given us back to Him, we bless and sanctify the remainder. By giving the 10%, we are blessing the remaining 90%. We are bringing our lives into harmony with God’s will. This is very similar to what we do when we fast. Whenever we fast, we sanctify our eating. We give up certain foods, and we eat far less than normal, and in doing this, we sanctify what goes into our mouths. Similarly, when we pay the tithe of at least 10%, we sanctify our material possessions. (Saint Gregory COC)

We are truly thankful for all your services, donations, support, and prayers.

The church board requested that I update the congregation on the financial obligations facing the church during this challenging time. As all of you are aware, during our first year in the new church we were only paying interest on the loan. As of January 2021, our obligations have expanded and we have started to pay: the entire mortgage; a monthly SBA loan payment (which we used to support the church during the pandemic); and, personal loans.

The board would also like me to make the congregation aware that we are barely meeting half of our monthly obligations at this time. The board asks for your prayers and encourages all of you to set up a recurring monthly donation to support the church through the following link