Rooted in Abundance
Help us plan boldly for 2024
Our generosity is informed by the simple theological truth that God has blessed us infinitely with all of the gifts of Creation. Our lives, our labor, our love is devoted to the mission of the Church when we take stock and realize that our lives and our response to God’s generosity are Rooted in Abundance.
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Generosity as we begin Advent
Happy first Sunday of Advent! This week’s stewardship reflection (English / Spanish) explores generosity and its associations with abundance. Abundance essentially means having more than you need. How we determine abundance is a matter of perspective. We can live in fear that we don’t have enough savings, that we don’t have a stable job, that we can’t afford nicer things, or even something non-monetary such as a fear of loneliness or not feeling loved. Another perspective is to shift our mindset to be thankful for the talents and blessings that allow us to pay the bills, support our family, and find opportunities for friendship. A more thankful mindset looks at the beauty in our lives and will enable us to be grateful for the gifts provided to us. This week’s reflection separates abundance and generosity by pointing out that abundance is what God has made available, and generosity is what we do with what God has made available. If a community generously shares its gifts, then everyone’s unique gifts would form a community that helps each other live in abundance with enough to provide ministry to others. Generosity is how the community of Christ Church / Cristo Rey Episcopal has thrived for over a century and has changed the lives of countless individuals in the Las Vegas community. I encourage you to take a few minutes to read this week’s reflection and consider, “How has God’s abundance formed your generosity?”
Stuart Campbell, the Director of the Galilee Episcopal Camp, will travel from northern Nevada to visit CCE/CRE on Sunday. Stuart has worked closely with our church for years, providing opportunities for children and adults to experience spiritual growth, education, and fellowship at the camp in Lake Tahoe. With the help of the church’s endowment fund, the support of the CCE/CRE community, and the assistance of Camp Galilee, CCE/CRE provides a valuable ministry of camperships for our children so they can experience summer camp at this beautiful sanctuary. We will have a family meeting to learn more about Camp Galilee and begin registration for the 2024 summer camp. Camp Galilee has programs for children and youth between the ages of 8 and 20 and family camps for all ages. We hope you can join us this Sunday at 10:15 am in the Parish Hall with your children and grandchildren. Find out more about Camp Galilee.
Respectfully yours in Christ,
Shane Gammon
Stewardship Committee Chair -
Sharing our Wealth, Works, and Wisdom
We are so pleased this year to talk about the theme of our annual stewardship campaign, Rooted in Abundance. We are particularly excited about it because it describes the graceful state of our church community and how we share our gifts so lovingly with each other.
Our giving tradition at Christ Church / Cristo Rey has always been focused on how we share all of our gifts – not just our financial gifts. A church needs new ideas, creative people to lead, individuals who know how to solve complex problems, and volunteers to keep our ministries focused on our neighbors. We usually talk about this in a three-fold way: wealth, works, and wisdom. If any one of these areas is missing from our community, we are diminished.
Each of us has a gift. For some it is cooking and baking, others might have beautiful singing voices, we praise those who have an administrative gift of balancing books or counting the collection, we admire those who offer hospitality, who serve at the altar, who help us find a seat as the service begins. Whatever your ministries are, we couldn’t be who we are without you.
During this stewardship campaign, we will talk about how trees are connected via their root structures, and how they share information and resources with each other through those underground networks. In this year of being in leadership ministry, we have witnessed the ways in which our congregations communicate with each other to get things done. Potlucks, community events, pastoral care, it all happens so wonderfully because you are each deeply connected to each other through your roots of faith and service. Next year will be an important time as we discern the future of our church and decide on the clergy leadership who will help guide Christ Church / Cristo Rey in the future. We need your involvement in this process.
We thank you this year for the ways you have shared your gifts with us – your wealth, works, and your wisdom. In the coming weeks, you will receive more information about this year’s campaign and an invitation to let us know what gifts you would like to share with us for next year’s ministry. Included with this letter is a pledge card. Your pledge helps our church leadership budget and provides financial stewardship – an essential aspect of being a healthy church. Once again, thank you for your generosity.
In gratitude,
Steve Wilkinson
Senior WardenWayne Adams
Junior Warden -
Christ the King Sunday
Happy Thanksgiving Weekend! I hope you are having a wonderful time with your family. This Sunday is the Feast of Christ the King, a special time for Christ Church / Cristo Rey. In celebration of this feast day, Ana Hernandez has organized a reception after each service. If you haven’t traveled out of town for the holiday, we hope you will join us!
On Christ the King Sunday we will also start the 2024 Stewardship campaign for CCE/CRE. Each week of the campaign, we will share a reflection that we hope you will take the time to read and consider. Our first reflection about Family (English / Spanish). Over the next couple of weeks, we will also be working on a parish-wide project to discover what our community loves about our church and dreams for the future of our church. We will be handing out paper leaves for you to share your thoughts on. With the leaves and the help of our children, we will create an Abundance Tree in the Parish Hall. These messages of love and abundance will also help the church leadership define what CCE/ CRE represents and our goals for the future. As we show gratitude during this Thanksgiving holiday, I would like to thank you for supporting our church community and ministries. I pray that you have a safe holiday and I look forward to celebrating with you this weekend and during Advent.
Respectfully yours in Christ,
Shane Gammon
Stewardship Committee Chair -
Exploring being Rooted in Abundance
The Christ Church / Cristo Rey Episcopal family has been busy this fall season! Even though we just recently started experiencing fall weather, we are already in the second week of November, with Thanksgiving, Advent, and the New Year quickly approaching. On behalf of our church family, I would like to thank you for supporting the many ministries and events offered by CCE/CRE. Members of our community donate financially and gift the church with their time and talent to provide education, worship, and fellowship opportunities for our children, youth, and adults while also providing outreach to those in need of aid in our surrounding community. We have continued to successfully fulfill this mission during a period of clergy transition within the church. Our Vestry is providing strong leadership and has worked closely with the church accountant to provide financial stewardship based on integrity and transparency. The impact of the volunteers, clergy, and staff who dedicate a good portion of their lives and talents to the ministry of doing God’s work makes CCE/CRE a continued success.
This year’s stewardship campaign theme is Rooted in Abundance. The theme is inspired by the prophet Jeremiah, who reminds us that:
Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit. (Jeremiah 17:7-8)
Wow! While reflecting on this theme, it felt like Jeremiah spoke directly to our church. Christ Church was founded two years after Las Vegas. Over the past 116 years, it has been an integral part of Las Vegas’s history and a cornerstone of our city’s downtown community. The church has experienced seasons of abundance and droughts throughout the past century but has continued to provide stability and sanctuary for the local community while standing sentinel over the continuous growth and rebuilding of Las Vegas. The church’s roots are deep and have been nourished for over a century by the faith and support of its community. This stream of nourishment has allowed CCE/CRE to blossom and provide the fruits of ministry, a welcoming spirit to everyone, and an inclusive environment for all races, genders, and gender identities. Its branches support the weight of a diverse and multicultural congregation.
We should be proud to be part of this rich history and the church’s accomplishments. The church has served our families and the Las Vegas community for generations. As members of this community in 2024, we are now its caretakers. Over the next couple of months, this campaign will explore the meaning of Rooted in Abundance and reflect on what that means in our daily lives and for Christ Church / Cristo Rey Episcopal. We will explore how you can make an impact by contributing financially and with your time and talent to help strengthen the stream that feeds a community dedicated to fulfilling God’s mission. We would love to hear your thoughts and reflections during this stewardship season.
Respectfully yours in Christ,
Shane Gammon
Stewardship Committee Chair