I AM ROOTED
Mike Dotten
I am a life-long Episcopalian. Probably like many of you, I didn’t pledge to the church right away. I kept my options open and gave weekly when the plate was passed at church. But I came to realize that the church, just like my family, needed to budget for the unavoidable expenditures required to maintain a home.
There are unavoidable costs of maintaining this spiritual home just as there are with our family home—especially a large home like Christ Church. This is especially true for an aging church building like ours. In addition, there are costs for keeping clergy and staff here to help sustain and enrich our spiritual lives. For that reason, Cheryl and I make a pledge to the annual giving campaigns.
We have attended Christ Church for more than 30 years. On Sundays we receive communion, and we are nourished. We were married at Christ Church, as were two of our children. Two of our children were confirmed here. Two of our grandchildren were Baptized here and three of our grandchildren attended preschool here. My brother’s and many friends’ memorial services were held here. Cheryl and I will have our funerals here and our remains will be placed in the Columbarium. I know each of Christ Church’s members have similarly called
this church home during times of joy, in times of fulfillment, when receiving communion here at God’s table and in times of trouble or grief. We all will continue to call on Christ Church for big and little things we cannot even foresee. Christ Church will be here for this church family because past Parishioners pledged to allow the church to develop a budget and make the commitments to pay for all the costs our church incurs so that it can be here for us.
Our beloved building is here because those who came before us—nearly as many years ago as I have been alive, pledged to this Parish. They did this so that the Parish could commit to hire clergy and staff, to build the church, to pay for the children’s education wing, to sustain the kitchen that feeds us and to maintain Cummins Hall where we have had so many joyful times together. Our kitchen also feeds those in our community who need help and the church provides a place to sustain our many outreach programs.
Those who will come after us depend upon us to be good stewards of the church. Our children and grandchildren rely upon us to provide a place where they can learn about God. Where they can be married, where they can have their children baptized and go to Sunday school and preschool.
We in this Parish are a family. Each of us depends upon the other to commit to our church family so that we can continue to provide spiritual enrichment to a world that is hungry to find meaning. This church home provides love and acceptance, reaching out to a world that is desperate to know the love of Jesus.
Please join Cheryl and me as we make our annual pledge to Christ Church to allow the Vestry to develop a budget that supports this spiritual home now and into the future.
Blessings,
Mike Dotten
Dan McAllister
I am writing you to encourage you to contribute to the future of our church
community with a pledge during our annual giving campaign.
For those who do not know me well, I grew up in the Episcopal Church.
As a military child moving year after year, the church community
that we found in every new place was always something
I could count on, and it allowed me to grow roots of spirituality no matter my location.
As a young adult, I wasn’t always an active member of a church, but my roots were still there. And once
I became a parent, I knew I needed this back in my life. I wanted my children to grow roots in a
community of faith as well. When my family moved to Oregon in 2018, we found Christ Church. My
four children have grown and thrived through Sunday School, summer programs, holiday events, and
outreach. The programs led by our incredible education staff and volunteers have provided learning,
fun, a sense of community, and a love of God. I am so incredibly grateful for this!
Right now, WE have the ability to feed the roots of our church so that our congregation grows and
flourishes. That involves many things to include faith, community, but it also requires financial support.
Without giving, programs that families like mine value simply do not exist. Without a budget, the
programs that you care about cannot happen. As members of Christ Church, it is up to us. We must
ensure that our church is “rooted.”
So, I humbly urge you to join me with a pledge to our church. Let’s come together and invest in our
children, our faith, and in the future of our parish. Together we can make a lasting impact.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Dan McAllister
Mary Anne Plano
My roots in the Christian church started when my mom took me to the church nursery at the Baptist church in our neighborhood. I went to Sunday School there, came to know Christ as my Savior through Vacation Bible School and listening to the Pastor’s sermons. When I was in high school I started helping out in the Toddler Sunday school class and also in Vacation Bible School. Even though i don’t have any children myself, I feel it’s important to support the local church to provide programs and classes for children to learn about Jesus.
Through my adult years I moved from the Baptist church to Presbyterian and finally to the Episcopal faith. When I moved to West Linn in 2021 I visited the Episcopal churches in the area and selected Christ Church because of the emphasis on outreach, the vibrant children’s programs and the warmth of the parish community. In my church upbringing I was taught to consider my income and possessions as a gift from God and to give back a tithe or 10% back to God to support the local church. I encourage you to support Christ Church with a portion of the gifts God has given you, so that the love of Christ can continue to be shared with our community.
Mary Lou Schrader
About two years ago I was asked to chair the renovation of our Memorial Garden at Christ Church. Our parish was going through a difficult time, and we were working hard to recover.
The Memorial Garden is what we all see as we enter from the upper parking lot. It is a place of calm and beauty in a world of chaos and uncertainty.
The garden did not look very welcoming. Some plants were dying, some were diseased, and some were overgrown. The garden had been designed and installed in 1996 by well-known landscape architect Wallace Huntington. It was funded by Tom and Emily Cummins. Tom was the west coast manager for IBM when he decided to become an Episcopal Priest. Over the years at Christ Church he was a parishioner, Senior Warden, Deacon , Assistant Rector, and Priest in Charge. Cummins Hall is named after him. His ashes and those of Emily and their son Jim are here in our garden.
Two years ago our garden renovation team of Elaine Yandle-Roth, Sandy Reay, and I found that the basics — the roots — of the garden were good, but it needed help. The sprinklers were repaired; good soil was added; and many new plants were established. Just as our congregation needed tender care, our team and the St. Fiacre Guild cared for the garden, and brought it back to life.
We had a goal; we had our team; and, we had funding from the Cummins and from the church.
None of this would have happened without that funding. We know this is true with every one of the programs at Christ Church. The clergy, the staff, the building — including the new roof — all need financial support.
My husband Chuck and I have been members here since 1989.
We raised our two daughters here. We knew it was important for them — and for us — to have a church home where there was kindness, respect, and love for others. We found deep roots so that our own lives would be able to grow and blossom, just like our garden here at Christ Church.
I invite you to join me in a pledge to our annual giving campaign to ensure the growth of Christ Church — our home for worship, learning, and care for every one of its members. We are so fortunate to have our wonderful Brad, a dedicated staff, and a very capable vestry. Let’s help them all help our congregation to thrive.
Sincerely,
Mary Lou Schrader
Click Here for the Budget Narrative 2024
“…and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;
that you, rooted and grounded in love…”
(Ephesians-3:17)
How to pay your pledge:
You can set up weekly or monthly payments from your checking account or by debit or credit card* online by clicking on the giving form below.
Or, if you prefer, pick up a pledge card at worship and place it in the offering plate or in the mailbox in the office reception area.
*Did you know that credit cards cost Christ Church much more to process? By giving through your checking or savings account, or by agreeing to offset the processing fee, everything you give directly will benefit Christ Church!
Pledging online is simple!
There are many ways to make your pledge online: choose the option that best suits you!
If you have an account in Realm (our online directory & giving platform), simply login to your account. https://onrealm.org/ccparish/
If you want to pledge through Realm and need an account, click here! (https://onrealm.org/ccparish/SignIn)
If you would prefer to pledge without a Realm account, click here (https://onrealm.org/ccparish/-/form/give/now)!
Pledging By Mail: If you’d like to make your pledge by mail, fill out the pledge card you received in the mail fill it out, and mail it to:
Christ Church Episcopal Parish
Box 447
Lake Oswego, OR 97034
Other ways to pay your pledge:
Prefer to pay your pledge through gifts of stock?
When making a gift of stock to Christ Church, we ask that you fill out the Gift of Stock document in advance or at the time of the transfer. We will then be able to watch for your gift, as well as note the gift appropriately on your statement. If you have questions please email bookkeeper@ccparish.org .
Click here to download the Gift of Stock document.
(Blank Stock Donation Form)
Using Your IRA to Make Your Gifts to Christ Church?
If you are age 70½ or older, you qualify to make a charitable gift from your traditional IRA account. The IRA Charitable Rollover provides you an excellent opportunity to make a gift during your lifetime from an asset that would be subject to multiple levels of taxation if it remained in your taxable estate. For any questions, please email boookeeper@ccparish.org for more information