Augustana Lutheran Church of Hyde Park

In the next few weeks in worship, we’ll all be experiencing a bit of dèjà vu as we pass the offering plates through the pews after the announcements. That’s always the time in worship for “tithes and offerings,” but since we’ve returned from pandemic lockdown, we have not passed the plates as we did before. Even before lockdown, we puzzled over the value of passing the plate when so many people were signed up to make recurring gifts. We’re not the only congregation thinking about how to make the time of offering more visible and valuable in the age of electronic giving.

We’re also not the only congregation feeling the bite of inflation this year. To give you an example, in June we learned that our insurance premium is increasing by 33%, and that’s just one example of the dramatic increases we’re seeing in month-to-month expenses. 

At the same time, we have been supporting a large family of migrants living in our building. They have often been a joy, and we can be sure that we are making a big difference in the lives of this extended family.

You might remember that in January we approved a budget that included a plan for a summer appeal. That’s another thing we used to do each year that we haven’t done for a long time. But this year, we need to ask everyone to consider giving more than they planned to help us finish our year without having to dip into reserves. We want to use that money for special programs and capital improvements, not everyday expenses like salaries. 

This Sunday, and for the rest of the summer, we’ll encourage everyone to use the special giving cards you’ll find in the pews. If you already give a recurring gift electronically, you can indicate that on the card and put it in the plate. You can also let us know that you are giving a special gift for the appeal. If you have not previously given a recurring gift, this is a good time to begin doing so and you can set it up at http://www.augustanahydepark.org    

There are lots of good things happening at Augustana, and we draw support for several projects from sources like grants. But Lutheran congregations mostly rely on gifts from the worshiping community. So this summer, whether you’ve made a pledge, didn’t make a pledge, give regularly, or haven’t given previously, please consider special weekly giving for the next few weeks.  

Summer Appeal Committee
Katja Della Libera (Council President)
Joe Klonowski (Council Vice President)
Carter Jacobs (Council Secretary)
Carolyn Rahaman (Council Treasurer)
Nancy Goede (Pastor)