SOTV 2023 Pledge  

Please fill out the form by 11/13/2022.

請在11 月 13 日之前填寫問卷。

SOTV 2023 Pledge  

https://forms.gle/TXULiNtw1rsfDjMJA

Members may also print out the pledge card, fill it out and mail back to church.

會員也可以列印出認獻卡，填寫並在11 月 13 日之前郵寄回教堂。

Thank you. 謝謝。

November 6, 2022

Dear Shepherd of the Valley Community,

We are blessed to live in a time when humanity has the knowledge to lead us quickly out of a once-in-100-years pandemic. The coronavirus has been tamed by the God-given talents of our medical research community! Here at Shepherd of the Valley, we had few infections among us; we all took care to keep our church family and our communities healthy.  And now, it seems we are returning to normal, a new normal to be sure, no doubt with opportunities to pivot occasionally back to COVID-19 protocols; it is a time to rejoice!

In late 2021, we rebooted the preschool by putting in place a preschool management company. And, although we have not seen 2022 enrollment rise to its former levels, we are confident we have good oversight in place.

This year, we refined our worship technology which made it possible for so many friends and family to be part of our worship services online, and more importantly, memorial services as well. What an advantage. Loved ones who often have trouble traveling are still able to witness this important life passage. This is a feature that we hope to carry into the future.

            And, we also produced a stripped-down version of our traditional Thanksgiving concert. It was well-attended, mostly by our own, and filled us with gratitude with how far we had come as a church intact. This year, we will offer two unique events: the Clay Music evangelism concert on December 3 and a Messiah Sing-Along on December 17.

And, as a sign of our congregational unity, this year we observed important Sundays together, the festivals of Easter, Pentecost, World Communion and soon, Christmas, to perform important work as one-church-many-people, like officer installation, baptisms and receiving new members.

            In 2023, we hope to restore to our faithful church practice our outreach to the community as we did before the pandemic, such as feeding the unhoused at St John Vianney, ministering to the residents at El Encanto, and the community celebration of the International Festival. We do not know what form this outreach will take, but we pray that we are ready and waiting to take the good news of God’s love out into the world again.

This is the way that Shepherd responds to our many blessings: with loving action to make the world better, where we can. As Christians, we strive to be generous with our care, improving the lives of people in our community. Perhaps more importantly, caring about others improves us. It changes our relationship with God by turning our attention and resources on things God cares about.

This is Stewardship season. You will find enclosed your 2023 giving pledge card. Your pledge is
the best way to let our congregational leadership know how much financial support for programs
and staff they will likely see next year. We hope that you will spend some time praying about it and then
turn in your pledge card, mail it back or submit it online at

https://forms.gle/ByBbre6urGT73wMe9

by Sunday, November 13th, or no later than Sunday, November 20th. We thank you in advance for your
commitment to Shepherd and wish you many blessings!

Please --contact any member of our Stewardship Committee to help answer questions. We thank you in advance for your commitment to Shepherd and wish you many blessings!

SOTV Stewardship Committee,

Hsing-Hung Chen, Amy Cheng, Jeff Crandell (chair), Rev. Deidra Goulding, Charlie Huang, Rev. Yank Lee, Angela Pai, Rev. Fischer Peng, Freya Schmus, David Weber, Marcia Wilcut, Harry Wilson, Cliff Yang, Heimin Yen

NOTE: Congregational Meeting to elect new officers and preview the 2023 budget – November 27, 2022. Please plan to attend to ensure we have a quorum. 

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親愛的牧谷教會弟兄姐妹，

感謝主，帶領我們走出100 年來最嚴重的疫情時期。冠狀病毒已經被醫學界馴服！在牧谷大家庭中，只有少數人被感染；我們採取了健康所需的各種防備措施。現在，我們逐漸恢復正常聚會，可以肯定的是，冠狀病毒雖然偶爾會有限的出現，但已經成為一種新常態，這是值得我們欣慰的！

2021年，我們重新啟動了幼兒園，成立了幼兒園管理公司。目前雖然入學率還沒有達到以前的水平，但我們已經有了良好的監督體制。

2021 年，我們改進了網上聚會的技術，讓朋友和家人，不僅可以實體參加主日禮拜或追思禮拜，而且對於住在遠處或有困難來教會的人，提供在網上參與聚會的機會，共同見證我們人生信仰的歷程，這是向前跨了一大步。

我們製作了傳統感恩節音樂會的精簡版。有很多弟兄姐妹參與，主要是我們自己製作的，充分表現了我們感恩之情，體現我們全教會的努力和成就。並且，我們繼續在一起遵守重要的主日聚集，例如復活節、五旬節、世界聖餐日和聖誕節等節日，我們肢體雖然多，卻活出一個身體的見證。

在 2022 年，我們希望恢復正常的聚會和服事，如同在疫情流行之前，對社區展開宣教和外展的活動：在 St John Vianney 為無家可歸的人提供食物；在 El Encanto 療養院為居民服務；國際文化節舉行社區慶祝活動等。我們不確定這些外展活動將採取何種形式，但是我們為此祈禱，並且準備好，等待再次將上帝的愛和好消息帶到社區中。

這就是牧谷教會回應上帝祝福我們的方式：用愛心和行動，讓世界變得更美好。作為基督徒，我們努力提供慷慨的關懷，改善社區中人們的生活。重要的是，當我們關心他人可以改善我們自己，以轉移我們的注意力和資源到上帝所關心的事情上，來改變我們與上帝的關係。

這是財務管理的季節。您會發現隨附的 2023 年捐贈承諾卡。您的承諾讓負責財政的人知道明年可能會有多少財政的支持。我們希望您花一些時間為此禱告，然後在 11 月 20 日（星期日）之前交出或寄回你的承若卡或上網      https://forms.gle/ByBbre6urGT73wMe9

如有任何問題，請聯繫我們管理委員會的任何一位委員。預先感謝您對牧谷教會的慷慨支持和承諾，並祝您獲得上帝更多的祝福！

牧谷教會財政管理委員會，

Hsing-Hung Chen、Amy Cheng、Jeff Crandell（主席）、Rev. Deidra Goulding、Charlie Huang、Rev. Yank Lee、Angela Pai、Rev. Fischer Peng、Freya Schmus、David Weber、Marcia Wilcut、Harry Wilson、Heimin Yen

注意：選舉新職員和預覽 2023 年預算的會員大會 – 2022 年 11 月 27 日