Did you ever have news that was so exciting that you could not wait to share it with others? The Good News that fills our spirits with joy is about the radical abundance, abiding love, and healing power that Jesus shares with us when we respond to his call to follow him. All of the gifts that we have been given are ready to burst forth to serve our neighbors and share our love with a world in need.
Why make a proportional gift?
Recently retired Bishop of Olympia, the Rt. Rev. Greg Rickel, stated that the tithe is only the beginning point. As Christians we give one hundred percent of what we have in gratitude for God who gave us everything there is. We’re all in.
When you make a proportional gift:
You set aside your first fruits, dedicating a portion of your wealth, works, and wisdom to God. This is a sacred act.
Your financial gift rises and falls with your income – it is right-sized to your household.
Giving back to God is a life-time journey; setting a percentage allows you to step up your giving over time.
2026 Pledge Form
It takes more than money to operate ministry in our church.
With gratitude we accept the many gifts of our members as volunteers, servers, ambassadors, and friends in and outside our community.
Thank you for all you do!
Letter from Priest-in-charge The Rev. Kyle Cuperwich
September 15, 2025
And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…”
Luke 1:46-47, NRSV
Dear Family of God,
As Christians we are story tellers. We have an ancient narrative, one that describes the beginning of time and the relationship between God and God’s Creation. We see this story grow through the prophetic tradition until our story recounts the life and gifts of the Son of God. But the story doesn’t end with the Resurrection just as it did not end with the Cross, it continues on in each of us today as we encounter and are transformed by the Good News.
Luke’s Gospel is bookended by the animated story-telling of two women named Mary. Early in the Gospel, Mary the mother of Jesus, tells us of her encounter with an angel who informs her that she will bear a child who will change the world. She proclaims her joy: “Tell out my soul! The Greatness of the Lord!” At the end of the Gospel, another Mary, Mary Magdalene, visits the tomb to discover it empty and receives instructions from the Risen Christ to go tell the others. She carries this Good News with jubilance to the Disciples.
What is your Good News; the idea, dream, challenge placed in your heart by God, that needs to be shared? What is the ministry to which you are called which will change the world, sharing your talents, gifts, and love with your neighbors?
Our Stewardship Campaign this year focuses on these stories – the ones inside you, the ones you are still writing, the ones we tell about those who have gone before us. We are all a part of this ongoing narrative – the ongoing Creation. As you pray about how you will share your gifts with Calvary this year, think about how God is calling you to tell out your soul, to spread the Good News far and wide. Hear the stories that we share weekly throughout the campaign that relate the creative spark in us with the ways in which we are called to serve God and love our neighbor.
Tell out my soul! The Greatness of the Lord!
Yours in Christ,
The Rev. Kyle Cuperwich
Priest-in-Charge, Calvary Episcopal Church
Letter from Wardens Karen Sammer & Jean Good
September 22, 2025
Dear Friends,
As we progress through our annual Stewardship Campaign, I am writing to invite you into prayer about the journey you make with our congregation – our spiritual home. We are companions for each other as we navigate the ups and downs of our shared lives. It is a walk of love that we make with each other.
Throughout this year I have been inspired by the ways you accompany each other. I have witnessed the way you care for the sick and shut-ins in our congregation. I have eaten at the table with you as you share your recipes and efforts for our community meals and potlucks. I have watched as you supported each other when you were struggling or needed a hand or a shoulder. You have helped me when I needed it.
This is what it means to be in community with each other – this is what walking in love looks like.
As stewards of God’s bounty we have so many gifts to share here, gifts of time, talent, and treasure that we freely give to support our ministry and to do the work of mission in our neighborhoods and communities. We do this not out of a sense that we will get back what we give, but because we are motivated by love. When Paul wrote to his friends in the Church at Ephesus, he reminded them that the very spark of love that founded their community of faith was one of giving. God showed God’s love for humanity by giving us a part of the Divine.
Certainly this is what we do when we place our gifts on the altar – we bring our whole selves and share the best part of our love and labor. As you consider what you will share with the Church this year, I invite you to give thanks for the many people who have walked with you in love, supported you in your faith, and shared their gifts with you.
Walking with you in Love,
John Banger
Senior Warden