January 28, 2026
Epiphany Greetings,
We believe in a loving God who is generous to us. The writer of the letter of James says, "Every good and perfect gift is from above." We are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Rom. 3:24).
Last week we held our annual Congregational Meeting. Mary Riccardi provided a clear explanation of our finances. She shared that we ended 2025 with a deficit of approximately $12k. The good news is that this amount was significantly less than we estimated at the beginning of 2025. The gap was closed because of the generosity of some of our members. We give thanks for everyone who prayerfully discerns what gifts they want to return to God to support the ministry of Christ's church.
At last week's meeting, we unanimously passed our budget for 2026. Unfortunately, again, we put forward a deficit budget. which means there is a gap between the amount of pledged/anticipated generosity and estimated expenses. Mary shared that if we continue this trend, our cash assets will be depleted in five to nine years. This, is not sustainable. This is not how we are to live our faith as stewards of all that God has generously given us.
During the meeting, I presented a four point strategy that focuses on: stewardship, evangelism, debt management, and mission evaluation. We will journey together to work on these pillars that will support the future of Living Waters. If you weren't able to attend the meeting, you can review the slides by clicking this link.
I am calling on everyone who is engaged in the congregational life and ministry of Living Waters to be engaged with this work. We don't do this ministry alone, and we can't envision the future without you. Please click this link to RSVP to our retreat event on February 21st. We will gather at 8:30 am for a potluck breakfast and we will target finishing by by 12:00 pm.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, James 1:17
Peace and light,
Pastor JJ
We believe in a loving God who is generous to us. The writer of the letter of James says, "Every good and perfect gift is from above." We are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Rom. 3:24).
Last week we held our annual Congregational Meeting. Mary Riccardi provided a clear explanation of our finances. She shared that we ended 2025 with a deficit of approximately $12k. The good news is that this amount was significantly less than we estimated at the beginning of 2025. The gap was closed because of the generosity of some of our members. We give thanks for everyone who prayerfully discerns what gifts they want to return to God to support the ministry of Christ's church.
At last week's meeting, we unanimously passed our budget for 2026. Unfortunately, again, we put forward a deficit budget. which means there is a gap between the amount of pledged/anticipated generosity and estimated expenses. Mary shared that if we continue this trend, our cash assets will be depleted in five to nine years. This, is not sustainable. This is not how we are to live our faith as stewards of all that God has generously given us.
During the meeting, I presented a four point strategy that focuses on: stewardship, evangelism, debt management, and mission evaluation. We will journey together to work on these pillars that will support the future of Living Waters. If you weren't able to attend the meeting, you can review the slides by clicking this link.
I am calling on everyone who is engaged in the congregational life and ministry of Living Waters to be engaged with this work. We don't do this ministry alone, and we can't envision the future without you. Please click this link to RSVP to our retreat event on February 21st. We will gather at 8:30 am for a potluck breakfast and we will target finishing by by 12:00 pm.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, James 1:17
Peace and light,
Pastor JJ
