Grace to you and peace, dear friends in Christ,

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Hal Donaldson was 23 years old, fresh out of college and found himself in Calcutta, India, where he was ghost writing a book for a couple feeding hungry children. They told him there was someone they wanted him to interview. A friend who was helping them in their endeavor. It was Mother Teresa.

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“She was so humble,” Donaldson says. After the interview, Mother Teresa had a question for him: “What are you doing to help the poor?” Says Donaldson: “It wasn’t accusative. She was just asking me a simple and fair question.” He told her the truth. He was young and had just gotten his degree in journalism. He wasn’t focused on helping others. With a smile on her face, Mother Teresa said, “Everyone can do something.”

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This story personifies the theme for our 2022 Annual Stewardship and Capital Campaign - Welcome Home! Mother Teresa’s response to Donaldson is at the core of the mission and ministry of Nazareth. Our vision has always been about moving forward in faith and serving together in mission. It is our DNA. Even in the midst of a pandemic, in a divided culture, in the face of fear and anxiety, we have kept moving forward in faith...together!

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In over 150 years of mission and ministry the people of Nazareth have faithfully and continually “given out of love for Christ”. Even amid the challenges of the past few years, we have continued to live out our mission to “...make Christ known...”and our vision to “get our hands dirty for the cause of Christ”. Through God's generous blessings and gifts, the members of Nazareth have been able to: continue building and rehabing Habitat for Humanity homes in Waterloo; support 13 missionaries and numerous other local, domestic and global mission partners; invest in worship and evangelical outreach, that has seen our in person, online, livestreamed, and televised worship services extend to reach well over 4,000 now each week.

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At a time when many churches are struggling and closing, God has richly blessed Nazareth as we continue to reach next generations through dynamic children’s and student ministries, live and online Christian education, and service opportunities that are perhaps the most extensive and far-reaching in the entire Cedar Valley. All of these vital ministries help us stay aware of our connection to faith, and help us remember the ways that each of us grows together as one community rooted in Christ. Our commitment to evangelism, outreach, feeding the hungry, and caring for our neighbors in need, in the name of Jesus, are ways we see our community sharing God’s life “beyond our walls” and beyond our congregation.

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Thank you . . . for all that you give of yourselves, and your gifts of every kind that make our community possible! Thank you for being an important part of this forward moving, living community rooted in Christ. As we look to the ways we are rooted and bearing fruit in Christ, we invite you to grow in faith and generosity by making a stewardship commitment to the ministry of Nazareth for 2022. Over and above your stewardship commitment, you are also invited to make a three year stretch-gift to our capital campaign. Please carefully read the enclosed brochure as it provides you with the details and tools to make your gifts to Welcome Home!

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In the Strong Love of Christ, Pastor Brian