Stewardship Campaign

Mary Magdalene Church

1008 Main Street

East Rochester, NY 14445

My Dear Friends,

My heart is filled with joy and gratitude as we approach the 15^th anniversary of Mary Magdalene Church! Now that I’ve retired, I get to experience it from the best seat in the house, amongst all of you watching the community that began with a tiny divine spark of inspiration deep in my soul and has become such a beautiful, loving, welcoming, inclusive community that reaches beyond our four walls.

To me it is especially significant to be sending this letter to you in the days following Pentecost, the feast day celebrating the Holy Spirit descending on the disciples, igniting their souls with the infectious love that inspired them to birth communities of believers that would carry the gospel message and values of Christ!! That same Holy Spirit has been instrumental in the life of Mary Magdalene Church every step of the way, and she guides us still!

From day one, I knew this dream was much bigger than me and that I could not do it alone, and that is still true today. Whether you live in Rochester or not, whether you have graced our front door, or you join us each week virtually, you are a vital part of who we are!!! And now we ask: Who is out there still searching? Who has not yet found us? How do we continue to flourish for generations of seekers to come?

On this 15^th Anniversary, I want to share with you a bit of the path that has brought us here. We have placed a brief summary of this story of our vision and stewardship on our website, so that it is available to anyone who may be searching. This journey began in 2009 with Sunday night masses at Mountain Rise Church in Fairport, but we quickly discovered we needed to find someplace to call our own on Sunday mornings, which led us to our first real home (a former bank building complete with monthly rental payments!).

THEN:

We were the only church in town with

a vault and a drive-up window!

About 11 years ago we moved to shared space with Trinity Lutheran Church in our current location, and two years later made the bold move to accept their offer to purchase the church and assume a mortgage. When the COVID pandemic changed all our lives in 2020, we recognized the need, funded, and initiated a virtual presence that preserved our community and has actually substantially increased our impact. In addition to the approximately eighty people in our pews every Sunday morning, we are now reaching over 200 viewers weekly on Facebook and YouTube.

In 2022, I made the tough decision to retire, and Mary Magdalene Church again followed the Spirit. With vision and stewardship, the community voted to hire Rev. Lori Vail as a full-time pastor, again assuming the necessary and new financial responsibilities. The transition from a founding pastor to new leadership is usually a huge challenge for churches, but I knew this community would not only survive but thrive, and you have confirmed that!!

NOW:

Our community today. A recent picture from

the back of church:

Spring 2024

Looking back, our history has followed a path of Faith, Vision, and Stewardship, and now we’re confidently moving forward on that path! Working together on our broad understanding of stewardship, you have provided the means by which we pursue our Mission and Vision. Whether you hold us in your prayers virtually, rake fall leaves, celebrate the sweetness of our youth, support our rummage sales, lead a ministry, or contribute to us financially, every aspect is essential and greatly appreciated! As Paul says in Corinthians: “There are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit.” He describes these gifts as manifestations of the [Holy] Spirit for the common good.

Every single one of your gifts, talents, skills, prayers, and donations help to sustain us. Over the course of the next few weeks, we will be asking community members to help us plan for our future dreams and our budgets by offering your gifts. Your generosity has always sustained us, and we are confident it will continue to do so!! Our stewardship drive continues through July 1^st, so please check out the attached form, and let us know how you would like to participate. If you are a part of our virtual family, we would especially love for you to register to be a part of our directory. We love knowing who is out there and where you join us from, and it will allow you to stay up to date on the happenings and opportunities at Mary Magdalene Church! I’m so glad you’ve found us, and that we’re journeying through life together!!!

With love and deep gratitude

Bishop Denise Donato,

and the In-reach/Out-reach Team

Mary Magdalene Church is an inclusive church in the Catholic tradition where people from all faiths and backgrounds are welcome to the Lord’s table. We strive to live the values that Jesus taught, to honor and respect each individual and to share the joy of God’s unconditional love in our community and beyond.