A Letter to the Benefactors of Christ the Savior Mission:
It is with profound gratitude that I write to you on behalf of Christ the Savior Mission in Delmarva for with your help and by the grace of God, we have successfully met our $20,000 matching donation challenge! In fact, due to your generosity, we have not only raised the $20,000 – which has already been matched by the anonymous donor – but we have actually done this with two months to spare!
The timing of this is simply perfect as we plan to close on the 15 acre, 4300 square foot parish center, between November 15 and December 15, 2011. We humbly send up glory to God who arranges all things according to His divine providence, and we extend our sincere appreciation to you all for your support and openhandedness!
After closing, the next stage will be making the necessary renovations to the property so that we might move from our rental worship/fellowship space to the new parish center. At present, we anticipate approximately $50,000 worth of work to make this happen. Although this is a significant financial challenge, we remain hopeful that God will provide. Honestly, it is hard not to be filled with this hope, this sense of peace and spiritual confidence in the Lord’s care, in light of all that has happened for our little unworthy Mission, especially this past year!
In fact, we can already see God’s hand at work yet again, as this past week two anonymous donors came forward offering two additional matching donations, each for $5,000! One of the donors is a friend of the parish from afar and the other is a local member of the community. The matching donations are offered in the following form:
- $5,000 will be donated to the “Building Fund” if by December 15, 2011, this amount can be raised by Friends of the Mission, who do not reside full-time in Delmarva.
- $5,000 will be donated to the “Building Fund” if by December 15, 2011, this amount can be raised by Local Members of the Mission.
In both cases, checks may be post dated for 2012, if they are received by December 15th.
Should we be able to meet these matching donation challenges, we will have raised $20,000 towards are renovation costs. This would give us a huge jumpstart on the road to the new parish center, which we hope to move to by Pascha 2012.
It is with some apprehension that I write to you, knowing how generous you have already been with our Mission during this past year. Yet, how could I not share this news with you, knowing not only your generous character but also that this is another God-given opportunity which can lead to the glorification of His holy Name!
And so, with this in mind, we humbly ask your assistance in meeting this new challenge before us, knowing, not only by faith but also by experience, that with your help and by the grace of God all things are possible.
With love in our God who performs wonders,
Fr. John and the Faithful of Christ the Savior
