Lines from my reading chair - April 6, 2008

Will the bells peal?

A number of years ago, while I was still a seminarian, I completed a year of internship here in Sudbury.  During that year, I learned a number of very valuable lessons.  Since that time, I have never spoken aloud in church about financial matters. In fact I am convinced that as long as people who pray in our churches are receiving the service to which they are entitled, money will never be a problem, and this parish is no exception.

Almost three months have now gone by since we first alerted parishioners to the fact that we have been given three years to raise the necessary funds for repairs to the bell towers and the roof of this church.  The budget set forth by the parish Finance Committee for these projects is $700,000.  Since that time, some parishioners continue to contribute to this campaign.  I wish to thank all those who have already begun to contribute.

If we are going to reach our goal, we need all the help we can get.  Beginning this week, we will include a small drawing of the church in bulletins.  You will notice that the image in this week’s bulletin has been drawn without the towers.  This is what the church would look like if we had to take the towers down at some point, but we would really like to be able to make the necessary repairs as soon as possible.

The trick to making this campaign work is to remember that even though fundraising is a challenge, the good news is that the money we need is already in our collective pockets.  Together, we can make a difference, and together we will indeed hear the bell in the tower ring again.  

Three parishioners have volunteered to form a fundraising committee.  It will be their responsibility to work with me in coordinating activities which will help us to reach our financial goal.  More details about these activities will become apparent in the near future.  In the meanwhile, if anyone else would like to help with this committee’s work, please call the parish office.