Dear Gardeners,

This is the time of year when we ask you to make a financial pledge to The Garden. We prayerfully hope that you will do so by joining our 2025 "Hope Grows Here" pledge campaign. As you may recall, we chose "hope" as our community focus in January 2024. With that focus, we have indeed seen that hope is growing and does not disappoint!

We have great reason for hope as we look forward to the future, as The Garden continues to grow and transform the world with the love of God. Hope is growing in The Garden through increased attendance, enhanced programming, and outreach. We continue to see hope come to fruition in our existing, firmly planted programs like our Big and Little Gives, Faith and Action, and participation in efforts like Soups’ On and Shalom Zone. 

This year, we brought on Betty Brandt as our Program Director. With just a few seeds, she has planted programming that has taken root and continues to grow with Together in 111 and the Art Gallery. In addition to those efforts, our Faith in Action team continues to grow, and The Garden has joined a team of churches on the north side committed to peace and unity.

Our worship continues to bring hope to Gardeners in-house and online. Our numbers are increasing on-site, and we have Gardeners watching from Montana to Delaware. Together, we all share in the spiritual connection of Shalom, Salaam, Namaste, and Peace. Doran Nash, our Music Director, continues to bring a variety of music and musicians that make Garden services deeply meaningful.

I give God thanks that Hope Grows Here in The Garden, and I believe that we are positioned perfectly to continue to grow wherever hope is planted in 2025. The Garden continues to be a dynamic, vibrant community that is committed to transforming the world with the love of God.

Please consider planting hope with a first-time pledge or planting more seeds by increasing your pledge in 2025. We hope to reach our goal of 70 family units pledging a total of $175,000. Last year we had 62 family units at $154,000. Will you please submit your pledge by Sunday, November 24? That way, we can include you in a special blessing. You will find all the information you need about pledging on the back of this letter. 

Thank you for believing that Hope Grows Here!

Peace,

Rev. Dr. Carolyn Scanlan-Holmes, Lead Pastor and Beth Young, Leadership Team Chair