Dear Cathedral Parish;

We hope this summer finds you well and enjoying the warmth and, hopefully, some rest. Your Stewardship Team has been busy preparing the 2015-2016 Stewardship Program, and we would like to invite you to be a part of a very dramatic change in how we think about stewardship here at the Cathedral.

The Stewardship Team spent a day in retreat at St. John's Church in Cold Spring Harbor. In this peaceful and quiet place we had the opportunity to pray, discuss, to break bread and to plan for the coming year. The day was facilitated by Father Delaney, to whom we are very grateful.

The most important work of that day was the creation of a Stewardship Mission Statement which we now invite you to read, digest, and to consider as we move forward together into this very exciting program year:

Cathedral of the Incarnation Stewardship Mission Statement

We believe stewardship is our intentional response to God for all that we are and all that we have been given.

Our Baptism calls us to give back a portion of that which has been entrusted to us, and to share those gifts with the Cathedral community and the world beyond.

As Christian stewards, the deepest and truest response we can make to all that has been given to us through God's grace is one of profound gratitude and, flowing from that gratitude, generosity.

This statement is the central theme for our stewardship program at the Cathedral. In years past we have introduced each pledge campaign with a certain theme, but through our discussions at our retreat in July we realized that our previous themes lacked a central focus from year to year. We hope that you will read this statement from time to time, and engage your fellow parishioners throughout the year on its message. You will see elements of it peppered throughout the letters we send to you, the talks we have with you, and in all of the programs that we hope you will partake in this year.

With this week's E-News we are introducing a series called I Am the Cathedral. They are reflections from the members of the Stewardship Committee on what it means to "be" the Cathedral of the Incarnation.

Sincerely,

Your Stewardship Team

Each year, many of our choir members attend choir camps for further enrichment and development both musically and spiritually. This year is no exception as several of our boys and men will be attending the Montreal Boys' Choir Course at St. Mark's School in Massachusetts. This week-long camp culminates in a music-filled Sunday at the iconic Trinity Church Copley Square in Boston on August 9th. Please wish our campers well as they prepare for the upcoming year of music-making.