Sunday Worship at 8am, 9am & 11:15 am · Details

  4925 Oriole Drive, Wilmington, NC 28403  ·   (910) 395-0616  ·   Give

Church of the Servant Wilmington
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Stewardship

PLEDGE NOW ONLINE

And taking the five loaves and the two fish, Jesus looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces. Luke 9:16-17, NRSV

Dear Fellow Servant,

As we continue this year’s stewardship campaign, I first want to thank everyone at Church of the Servant for their service, prayers, and financial support over the last year.

There is so much that goes on at COS – Christian formation offerings, our group working toward racial equity in our society, our excellent Christian education programs for children and youth, pastoral care for one another, fellowship through parish life events, three wonderful and varied Sunday worship services in a beautiful sanctuary, and the many opportunities to serve others beyond our walls, through our outreach ministries.

It is stewardship in its many forms that keeps these programs and activities going. While the focus of this letter and this month’s stewardship campaign is on financial resources, I do want to recognize the other forms of stewardship that are so vital. The gifts of leadership, creativity, and service are essential.

Stewardship in the form of financial resources is necessary for the future health and well-being of our parish as well. Staff compensation and building maintenance make up the majority of our budget and those costs go up every year. Financial pledges have not kept pace however, and the financial picture is concerning.

The fact is, our church income has not been enough to meet expenses for a number of years, and for the most recent two years the church has been functioning with a deficit budget. Before that the budget was supplemented by reserves from previous years, when staff expenses were lower due to the transition between rectors. The good news is that our parish is growing again as the pandemic eases, and all seems to be getting back to normal. To continue to do the things that mean so much to us at COS we need to increase the number of pledging households by 20% and total parish income by at least 10%.With this increased support we can move ahead to a sustainable future.

Some people question the need for pledges. The answer is simple – our Finance Committee will be working on our 2023 budget next month, and they need to have a good idea of what the church’s income will be. I also personally believe that when we pledge we are part of something bigger than ourselves. We can do great things, and will have more than enough, if we each pledge what we can.

Please prayerfully consider increasing your pledge for the year 2023. You can use the paper pledge card or Online pledge form. Your giving can be managed online also by clicking on the GIVE button at the top right side of this page or here.

The story from Luke’s Gospel at the beginning of this letter is about faith, love, generosity, and trust. I think this story is told at Church of the Servant every day.

Faithfully,

Margie Hickman
Vestry Liaison for Stewardship

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Sunday Worship
8 am, 9 am and 11:15 am
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© Church of the Servant
4925 Oriole Drive
Wilmington, NC 28403
(910) 395-0616

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Service Times

Sunday Worship

  • 8:00 am Holy Eucharist without music
  • 9:00 am Interactive Holy Eucharist
  • 11:15 am Holy Eucharist with music

Location

Church of the Servant Wilmington
4925 Oriole Drive
Wilmington, NC 28403

Contact Us
(910) 395-0616

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Welcome Sunday Worship Who We Are Life Events / Sacraments Becoming a Member

What are you looking for?

These are the first words spoken by Jesus in John’s gospel, directed to a seeker named Andrew. We are all seekers, and while we may not know how to express what it is we’re looking for, we trust that we’ll know it when we see it.

At Church of the Servant, we seek, serve, and celebrate God and each other in a safe and accepting community. We welcome people from various backgrounds and ethnicities, those who are straight, LGBTQ, married, partnered, single, from other denominations and faith traditions, life-long Episcopalians, brand new to church or returning to church after a long absence.

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We want you to feel comfortable coming to Church of the Servant for the first time! Whether you are attending your first ever Episcopal service or you “know the ropes,” every church is a little different. Here are answers to some Frequently Asked Questions. And if you still have more questions, just ask! We’re a friendly bunch and were all first-timers once.

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Who we are…

  • We are an inclusive group of people searching for spirituality and meaning in our lives.
  • We honor people for who they are and where they are in their lives.
  • We live our lives in thanksgiving for the love that God has bestowed on all creation, rather than live our lives in order to earn that love.
  • We are a growing church filled with love and creativity.
  • We work together, play together and search together.

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God is present in every occasion of our lives. Together we mark these special times with celebrations of worship to highlight the ways in which God is always at work throughout the events of our lives.

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Though not like a social or professional organization, the Episcopal Church does have membership criteria. These aren’t meant to say who is "in" or who is "out", but instead, to establish who has taken an intentional step to be part of a worshiping community and who is either still discerning, or someone we should invite to join us on this faith journey!

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Hearted Hands - The message “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord!” rings out on Sunday mornings and it doesn’t end there. Being the hands of Christ in the world is an essential part of the shared nature of ministry at Church of the Servant. Stewardship in several forms – sharing of our time, talent, and treasure - is the essence of hearted hands ministry.

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Hearted Hands Ministry