Since we are right in the middle of our journey through Lent, it may seem a bit premature to write something under the headline of an Easter victory. I am hungry with anticipation!

Of course, I look forward to Easter. For us Christians, it is a day that powerfully holds many of our hopes—for life and for love and for light in the face of death. And, we are always hungering for bright hope.

At Embry Hills, Easter will be a special time for another reason. It will mark the conclusion of our “Strong Tradition, Bright Future—Embry Hills at 50” Campaign to underwrite our 2010 Mission and Ministry Budget.

We need your help.

1. Please be in prayer for our church and for its ministry. Please be certain to express joy and thanks at the remarkable ways in which our church touches people’s lives.

2. Please show up for worship. During March, we’ll be celebrating our ministry and pledging ourselves anew to make Embry Hills’ next 50 years as wonderful as our first 50.

3. Please agree to attend a neighborhood gathering in March. When you receive your invitation, please receive it joyfully. These gatherings will afford us the opportunity to connect and to care and to share our enthusiasm for all that God is doing in our midst. You will receive your 2010 pledge card at the gathering. Please take it home and pray about your support for our 2010 ministry.
Please plan to return your card by March 28th, Palm Sunday, so that we can march into Easter with victory shout!

As you know, we have had to make some difficult decisions in the past couple of years, and our bright hope as we underwrite our 2010 ministry is that we can begin to undo some of those painful decisions and restore some or all of what was lost. We most assuredly do not want to have to make further painful decisions, since we are operating on a very lean budget anyway.

Please give as sacrificially and as generously as you are able. There are many inspiring stories of amazing generosity at Embry Hills! I hope each and all of us will be part of an overall story of generosity written at Embry Hills, as we march toward Easter and beyond.
Peace,
Mark Sargent