Several years ago I remember receiving a note from a young woman who was living abroad. She had been away from Hebron for several years when she wrote to say that she was heartened to receive the Hebron Herald and see that there were no appeals for money in it, but instead, wonderful descriptions of ministry in which Hebron was engaged.
As I sat back to ponder her words, two thoughts came to mind. (1) It had been several years since we had conducted a stewardship campaign at Hebron. Moreover, we have made very few appeals for finances over the years. (2) How is it possible to decouple the wonderful descriptions of ministry from the resources necessary to make them happen?
Consider the reach of Hebron’s ministry over the last few years. In March 2011 we helped incorporate The Blessing Board as a separate 501(c)(3) organization and spin it out of Hebron to enable its growth. At that time The Blessing Board budget was $24,000 a year with some 30 regular volunteers and 275 families served. Today its budget is $370,000 with over 300 regular volunteers and over 1000 families served.
The same year we began the Holly Alm Camp Scholarship Fund Golf Outing to assist kids in going to camp. That year we raised $13,000 and were able to send over 40 kids to one of a half dozen Christian camps. Over the last five years we have raised more than $140,000 for HACSF and have sent more than 700 kids to more than a dozen Christian camps.
In the spring of last year we saw the Lord bring to fruition a decade of prayers and planning with the opening of Lost and Found Pharmacy. Through the prayerful generosity and hard work of so many at Hebron, what was once a dream is now a reality.
This is only a small slice of what the Lord has been doing through the commitment of time, talent, and treasure of our church body. Add to this list the funding and growth of the Caribbean Youth Network, the tens of thousands of dollars that have been raised by the Sara Wally Walk for the homeless in Pittsburgh, several years of gathering, giving, and serving through the Beyond Campaigns, and you’ve got quite a demonstration of God’s favor on and through Hebron.
But now, for the first time in a long time, Hebron has a sizable operational deficit of nearly $49,000. We were compelled to announce our need at the Congregational Meeting on October 23 and in the Sunday bulletin and E-newsletter each week. Since first recognizing the deficit, nearly a third of it has been erased.
Our desire is not to pull back and redirect our energy away from carrying the Gospel beyond our walls. Instead, we are united in sounding the alarm among our Hebron family. We are asking each of you to prayerfully consider what you can do to eliminate this year’s deficit and provide for our financial needs in the coming year.
We are dedicated to continuing to respond to God’s call beyond ourselves. What we need in order to do that is you and your faithful giving. You see, that young woman was right. Every ministry God has led us to start and grow is exciting; but like any growth, it requires nutrients and nutrients cost money. After all, death is cheap. It’s living and growing that costs.
