Sow
Sow the seeds of the beloved community Jesus Christ calls on us to build.
Reap
Together, we transform the seeds of your financial support into a harvest of abundant ministries.
Celebrate
We Celebrate all that God has done and is doing through our church.
We worship and serve a God of abundance, whose grace, love and mercy cannot be earned or measured. God asks us to do our part in return. As in so many stories from scripture, we are called to practice the ancient ways of “working the land.” We sow our efforts into the soil - creating and sustaining ministries that reflect God's intention for us and our world. We wait in faith for the harvest. When the time arrives, we reap and distribute the blessings of God’s goodness for ourselves and others. And we celebrate God for seeing us through the many seasons of our lives together.
Our Stewardship Campaign theme this year is IN ABUNDANCE: Sow. Reap. Celebrate. When we look back at 2023 and forward to 2024, God’s abundant blessings and opportunities are all around us. All of it is made possible by the faithful generosity of our members and friends.
What is needed for next year?
The Session and Finance Committee recommend a 4.5% increase to our budget, driven primarily by inflation. So we ask members to prayerfully consider an increase to their pledge for 2024. However, an equally important goal is 100% participation, as we seek to draw all members into the financial support of Caldwell. EVERY PLEDGE IS IMPORTANT, no matter the size. We hope you will join us in financially supporting the great work of our church.
As you consider your pledge, please make time to explore this website fully. You will see how your support is used and all that we look forward to next year. These are your stories - as told in photos, text and videos. These are your siblings, your community, your family of faith putting belief in action.
When you are ready, please find one of the “Pledge” buttons on these pages to indicate what you are called to give in 2024. We hope everyone will have made their pledge by Commitment Sunday, October 29, but you don’t have to wait. Early pledges give us momentum and encouragement.
“Then He will give you rain for the seed which you will sow in the ground, and bread from the yield of the ground, and it will be rich and plenteous; on that day your livestock will graze in a roomy pasture.”
“Then He will give you rain for the seed which you will sow in the ground, and bread from the yield of the ground, and it will be rich and plenteous; on that day your livestock will graze in a roomy pasture.”
- Isaiah 30:32
Faith in God’s Abundance
Then and Now
We may live in a modern, concrete city, but our lives in faith are not that dissimilar from scripture’s stories about how we are to plant, harvest and share. The Bible speaks plainly: God expects us to plan well and to combine our resources; to put in the work and not be lazy; to act in trust that God will provide; to gather in the harvest at the right time; to share generously from what we produce; to be good stewards of our land and resources.
Jesus also had plenty to say about sowing, reaping and celebrating. He taught his followers to cast their seed on good soil. He proclaimed how one tiny mustard seed could create enough. We come to know Jesus as the vine that both connects us to God and keeps us planted in the here and now. Jesus describes himself as the bread of life. So it is that, in worship, we gather around one table to share the bread and the cup of the vine as God’s spiritual food for our journeys.
These ancient ways still shape our faithful life of service, mutual support, study and fellowship, even though our joys and our challenges may look different than those we find in scripture. Caldwell is known for its leadership in mission, whether that is speaking up on issues of racial injustice, LGBTQIA+ equality and equity, help for the unhoused, care for the climate or any of the congregation’s other passions. None of that outreach is possible, however, without the pastoral support our staff and members provide on a daily basis.
All of this is made possible by the long track record of our members’ support, based on their means, in response to God’s love and calling.
Sow
Your financial support of Caldwell represents your faithful commitment to stand with other members and SOW the seeds of the beloved community Jesus Christ calls on us to build. Spiritually speaking, your pledge is a statement of thanksgiving for God’s Abundance in your life.
If you have not pledged in the past, we hope you will take that step now and make a pledge for 2024. Your pledge can turn your giving into a spiritual practice, like prayer and worship, which help to keep God a priority in your life. Your pledge is also a significant aid to our church leaders in setting budgets, goals and spending plans for our programs and ministries.
Many ask the question: “How much should I give?” At Caldwell, everyone matters. ALL pledges are important and valued. No amount is too small. We are each in a different place and must consider our individual circumstances. It is always best to start with prayer. Ask God for guidance on how much you should give. Consider the ways God has blessed your life and provided you with resources. Consider what Caldwell means to you. Do you value the leadership (remember, we have to pay them!), the ministries, the programs, our joyful worship, our growing role in the community.
After prayerful consideration of the amount, resolve to give with a joyful heart, for as Paul reminds us in 2nd Corinthians, “Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
Pledges for 2023 were a total of $542,000. The budget for 2024 has not been finalized yet, but based on program needs and staff compensation, the Finance Committee has set a goal of $575,000 in pledging. A large portion of the increase is due to inflation in costs, something we have all recently felt. We hope you will prayerfully consider your financial support for Caldwell and pledge an increased amount from your giving in 2023.
What is a Pledge?
A pledge is a statement of hope, a down payment for the loving grace of God we can never afford, a material claim that we have enough and want others to have enough, too - enough to eat, a place to sleep, enough dignity and justice, enough community, enough purpose, enough love and self-love that reflect God's love for us.
A pledge is added to others to allow church leaders to build a budget for 2024 - to retain excellent staff and ministerial leadership; to see to it that our buildings are shared with the city as God's property, not ours; to help ensure Caldwell can bear witness through the highs and lows of life.
A budget demonstrates values, what an individual or organization really cares about.
Every budget is a moral document.
The Caldwell budget, prayerfully prepared, is no different. For the coming year, the Session has set a goal of $575,000 for the Stewardship Campaign, a modest increase but sufficient to do what we believe God calls us to do next year.
A pledge is more helpful than giving sporadically, when possible or when we remember to. It is not meant to be what we have left over, if anything. It is meant to be our "first fruits" just as God acted first in creating us, sustaining us and redeeming us through Christ.
NO pledge is too small. Every pledge matters and God forgives and blesses our intention, even if we can't always give exactly what we hoped.
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
- Galatians 6:9
In 2024, we look forward to a transformational new chapter at Caldwell preparing for and opening Easter’s Home! We will envision a campus master plan, considering additions like a playground for kids and a memorial garden, and advance toward our goal of being a carbon-neutral campus. We will re-energize our TouchPoint LGBTQ ministry, expand children’s education and engage more members in purposeful opportunities to serve, learn and grow.
Throughout it all, our ministers and staff lead dozens of meaningful worship services, bringing a diverse set of voices and perspectives to the pulpit every Sunday. Our choir expands its musical selections, broadening the soundtrack of our faith life. Pastors and members teach rich Sunday School classes, visit sick members at home and in the hospital, offer counseling and a listening ear and bear witness to justice across the city. All of this is to offer praise and grateful response for God’s many gifts. And all of this is only possible through the generosity of YOU, our members.
Reap
In 2023, we returned fully from covid. We opened Hope Hall, which has been used by 20 different community partners for their community-building events in just its first months, in addition to our own use and enjoyment. We extended our Thriving Congregation emphasis to deepen how we listen and build relationships. Our Anti-Racism ministry added new events and programs. We launched grief support groups and shared another wonderful summer with four Hope interns. We answered the call to bear public witness to God’s love and justice in the Pride Festival, receiving newcomers and members who embraced our mission. On campus, we activated solar panels, installed new way-finding signs and are upgrading The Third Place space for reopening. We welcomed dozens of newcomers, organized our first in-town all-church retreat and declared victory in raising $6 million to start construction for Easter’s Home. We expanded staff to manage Hope Hall and manage how we care for the buildings and grounds. We hugged and held each other through good times and bad, baptizing and burying and growing in faith together.
Your Pledge in Action
Financial pledges from members and friends build the annual church budget. Your tithes and offerings take many forms - the work and ministry of our staff, the ability to share our campus spaces with the community, financial grants to a range of community partners addressing housing, hunger, poverty, systemic justice, disaster relief and more.
“We had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.”
- Luke15:32
Celebrate
Think of all we have to celebrate at Caldwell and about Caldwell.
We stand on the shoulders of the old Caldwell remnant that kept the church open through hard times until they were joined in 2006 and 2007 by those who brought new energy and vision, all coming alongside God to resurrect the church. We are continually fed by the steady stream of newcomers who bring their own passion and interests to our shared spiritual journey.
We Celebrate all that God has done and is doing through our church. We are like the ancient Israelites, to whom the Lord said: “You will draw water from cisterns you did not dig, and you will eat from vineyards and olive trees you did not plant.” God provides for us so that we can provide for others - spiritually, faithfully, materially - in the ways of love and justice.
On Commitment Sunday, October 29, we will ask members to bring their pledge commitment to the front table. Our pledge commitments will be an insert in the bulletin with space provided for your name and one of two selections you can make. One will state “I have already made my pledge online” through this website. The other selection will state “I commit to making my pledge online this week”. We ask our members to fill out the bulletin insert and bring it to the front table at the time designated during the worship service. After worship, we will Celebrate our pledging and the church retreat with a breakfast in Hope Hall.
Thank you for your generous pledge to support the work of Caldwell Presbyterian Church.
Stewardship Committee – Katie Keels, Sheena Bossie, Riley Kilpatrick, Regina Montgomery, Rob Montgomery
