A Word from the Outreach Committee

Dear Friends,

This month’s designated offering is for Seminary Scholarships and Ministerial Relief. This special offering is a longstanding tradition at Washington Avenue Christian Church and is part of our support for pastors and their training to serve the local and larger church.

As we prepare for our Month of Ministry emphasis, I am reminded of the pastoral leadership we have had over the almost 40 years that I have been a member. Our Pastors during that time—Ken Evans, Janet Long, and Nathan Russell—and Interim Pastor Ernest Thompson, have either served or are still serving us with faithfulness and dedication. They all received their theological training at Disciples-related institutions—Lexington Theological Seminary, Christian Theological Seminary, and Brite Divinity School—and they all received financial aid from their respective institutions. Well-prepared pastoral leadership is a hallmark of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and we are blessed to have such pastors to serve our congregations. WACC has a history of supporting the scholarship funds of Disciples-related seminaries and has shared in the preparation offs future leaders. One-half of our Special Offering this month will go to the general scholarship fund of Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas.

The other half of this Special Offering will support the Ministerial Relief efforts of the Pension Fund of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). These efforts include monthly grants to retired ministers or their surviving spouses whose incomes are below the poverty level and who do not have a pension, as well as providing a small check annually to retirees with the lowest incomes. Many Disciples pastors have served small churches for their whole careers and did not have salaries high enough to accumulate a sufficient pension.

Please join me in helping to support our pastors, both those who have served and those who will be preparing to serve.

Blessings,

Mark Mathes