{"id":8345,"date":"2024-10-30T12:55:54","date_gmt":"2024-10-30T17:55:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.firstuccdc.org\/?p=8345"},"modified":"2024-11-08T10:44:01","modified_gmt":"2024-11-08T15:44:01","slug":"stewardship-reflection-from-michael-enseki-frank","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.firstuccdc.org\/index.php\/2024\/10\/30\/stewardship-reflection-from-michael-enseki-frank\/","title":{"rendered":"Stewardship reflection from Michael Enseki-Frank"},"content":{"rendered":"<style type=\"text\/css\"><\/style><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8319\" src=\"https:\/\/www.firstuccdc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/For-web-2024-STM-Facebook-Alt-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"628\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.firstuccdc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/For-web-2024-STM-Facebook-Alt-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.firstuccdc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/For-web-2024-STM-Facebook-Alt-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.firstuccdc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/For-web-2024-STM-Facebook-Alt-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.firstuccdc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/For-web-2024-STM-Facebook-Alt-768x403.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.firstuccdc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/For-web-2024-STM-Facebook-Alt-1536x807.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.firstuccdc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/For-web-2024-STM-Facebook-Alt-2048x1076.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.firstuccdc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/For-web-2024-STM-Facebook-Alt-580x305.jpg 580w, https:\/\/www.firstuccdc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/For-web-2024-STM-Facebook-Alt-860x452.jpg 860w, https:\/\/www.firstuccdc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/For-web-2024-STM-Facebook-Alt-1160x609.jpg 1160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 628px) 100vw, 628px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Dear Friends,<\/p>\n<p>Talking about what truly matters in life can sometimes feel challenging. One of the blessings of being part of First Church is that we share a space where we can speak openly and sincerely about our joys and sorrows. Here, we are connected by a shared language and can draw upon symbols and imagery to express feelings and ideas that might otherwise be hard to put into words. Being a part of the church means being a part of the \u201cbeloved community.\u201d By following the teachings of Jesus, we receive \u201cabundant life.\u201d By loving our neighbor, we honor the \u201ccloud of witnesses\u201d that came before us.<\/p>\n<p>Our church is also a place where we come together for sacred rituals \u2013 passing the peace, lifting each other up in prayer, and gathering at the communion table. While these practices can be performed alone, they carry a special power and beauty when shared. As Jesus said, \u201cFor where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This precious community depends on all of us to thrive. As we consider our financial commitments for the coming year, let us remember that our generosity \u2013 through our time, talents, and treasures \u2013 nurtures this shared language, these cherished rituals, and a community that transforms lives, including our own.<\/p>\n<p>In hope and gratitude,<\/p>\n<p>Michael<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Dear Friends, Talking about what truly matters in life can sometimes feel challenging. One of the blessings of being part of First Church is that we share a space where we can speak openly and sincerely about our joys and sorrows. Here, we are connected by a shared language and can draw upon symbols&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8331,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[68],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archived-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Stewardship reflection from Michael Enseki-Frank - First Congregational United Church of Christ<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.firstuccdc.org\/?p=8345\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Stewardship reflection from Michael Enseki-Frank - First Congregational United Church of Christ\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&nbsp; Dear Friends, Talking about what truly matters in life can sometimes feel challenging. 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