Friday, December 3, 2010

7-- LETTERS FROM THE CHURCH

This collection of letters is intended for those who wish to offer written expression of love and faith to church members. The short letters easily can be adapted to suit the particular situation of the recipient. Please feel free to copy and paste them into your computer to make your personalized cards, or they may be handwritten on invitation-size card notes.

There are 35 short letters for church shephards and care givers in this section to give you a starting place to write to folks in your congregations and religious societies. Please feel free to copy them and adapt them as you see fit.

THE LETTERS ARE NUMBERED AND INDICATED IN PARENTHESES ( )


LETTERS FROM THE CHURCH (365-400)

To Visitors (365-377)

To New Members (378)

To Absent Members (379-384)

To the Grieving (385-386)

Those Grieving Broken Relationships (387)

Commendation Letters (388-396)

To Young People (397-398)

On the Church Prayer List (399-400)


To Visitors (365-377)

Dear _____,
We were pleased that you came to our service on Sunday and hope that you found inspiration, hope, and food for your soul as you worshipped with us. Your presence was a blessing to us and we hope that you will come again whenever you are able.
The grace and peace of our Lord Jesus be with you. (365)

Dear ______,
We were delighted that you could serve God with us through our worship on Sunday. We hope that you will feel free to participate in any of the ministries, activities, and programs of our church family, and that you will join us again for worship any time you are able. Our church calendar (of Sunday School/Bible Study/Circle, etc schedule) is enclosed.
The grace and peace of our Lord Jesus be with you. (366)

Dear _____,
Thank you for worshipping with us on Sunday. We always feel blessed when brothers- and sisters-in-Christ from far away are able to share time with us as we offer our praise, thanksgiving, songs, and love to God. Thank you for adding your listening heart(s) to ours as we were nurtured by God’s Word and Spirit. We hope you know that you have a spiritual home here whenever you are in our area.
May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus be upon you. (367)

Dear _____,
Thank you for worshipping with our church family on Sunday. We always feel blessed to have visitors come and add their prayers and songs as we praise and thank God together. It is our prayer that you, too, experienced God’s blessing while in our midst. We hope you will come again when you are able.
May the grace and peace of Jesus Christ be yours now and always. (368)

Dear _____ and _____,
Welcome back to (town or church name). We are delighted that you once again joined your listening hearts to ours in worship. It is a joy to be nurtured by God’s Word and Spirit together. We pray that you will return whenever you can so that together with your beautiful family, we might blossom and flourish in the love and mercy of our gracious God.
May the grace and peace of Jesus be yours now and always. (369)

Dear _____,
How good to see you back with us on Sunday! It is a pleasure to have you among our worshipping community once again. We look forward to whatever God has in store for us in the coming months together. May it be a time filled with signs of God’s goodness, love, mercy, and grace as together we follow in the steps of our Lord Jesus. May His peace be yours. (370)

Dear _____,
What a pleasure it was for our church family to welcome your family to our worship on Sunday. Your presence enhanced our service and enriched our time together. It is our prayer that you encountered God in a meaningful way while you were with us and were blessed through our offering of praise, prayers, thanksgiving and love. We hope you will come again when you are able.
The grace and peace of Jesus Christ be with you. (371)

Dear _____,
Grace to you and peace from Jesus Christ, our Bread of Life. We were so pleased that you chose to worship with our church family this past Sunday. This loaf of homemade bread is our way of thanking you for joining your praise, prayers, and joyful songs with ours. May it be an aromatic and delicious reminder of God’s nurturing love.
Please feel free to join us in any or all of our services, gatherings, and ministries. God bless you. (372)

Dear _____,
We are always grateful when God sends us visitors to join us in our worship, but Sunday was a special cause of thanksgiving to have you and your folks with us. We want you to know how very welcome you are here. It is our prayer that you will return soon.
If there is anyway that we can be of service, please don’t hesitate to call on us. Enclosed is a _____(card/refrigerator magnet) with our phone number, email, website, and office hours. May the peace of Christ be yours each day. (373)

Dear _____,
How good it is whenever we can gather together as God’s children to let our hearts and spirits soar in thanksgiving and praise! Your presence in our worship was a gift to us, and we consider ourselves blessed by your joy, your songs, and your beautiful smile.
We hope that you will come again whenever you are able. May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus be with you. (374)

Dear _____,
The congregation of _____ Church was so pleased that you were able to join us in our service of worship on Sunday. We hope that your time visiting in our area will be blessed with good times, good health, and the knowledge of the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus with you each and every day. Please come back and see us again whenever you are able. May God’s blessings be upon you. (375)

Dear _____ and _____,
It was truly a blessing for our church family to have had you among our worshipping community while you were visiting our city these past (two months). We pray that God’s tender mercies will keep you safe and well until we meet again. In the meantime, we hope you will remember us in your prayers, as we will you. May God grant you all that you need as you follow in the steps of Jesus. We remain your bothers and sisters in Christ’s love. (376)

Dear _____,
We feel that our worship is enhanced and enriched by your presence, prayers, and listening heart. We are very pleased that you have become a part of the church family as a regular visitor and we would love you to consider joining this congregation as a member. We are praying for God’s guidance for you in this matter. But whether you feel called to take the “spiritual plunge” by joining us or decide to continue with us as a visitor, please know that we are blessed to have you with us. Grace and peace in Christ. (377)

To New Members (378)

Dear ____ Family,
The grace and peace of our Lord Jesus be yours now and always. What a wonderful blessing it was for our congregation to be able to celebrate your joining of the church (and _____’s baptism) on Sunday! We are so very pleased that God has led you to discover what it means to be a child of God and a follower of Jesus within our community. We are looking forward to our life together in Christ in the coming years. In His love, (378)

To Absent Members (379-384)

Dear _____,
The grace and peace of our Lord Jesus be with you. We have missed seeing you at church lately. Please know this congregation feels the loss of your love, prayers, faith, and listening heart(s) when you are not there. We will be calling to schedule a visit with you in the near future just so we can “catch up” and in the meantime, if there is some way that we can be of help to you, please don’t hesitate to call. Most sincerely, (379)

Dear _____,
We just wanted to take a moment to tell you how blessed we are as a church family whenever you come to worship. A quick handshake as you’re leaving seems just that—too quick. So consider this note a “longer handshake” to let you know that we are truly grateful for your presence among us. We thank God for joining us together in Christ as one family here at First Church. We hope to see you again soon. May the grace and peace of Jesus Christ be with you. (380)

Dear _____ Family,
We want to convey to each of you how pleased we are whenever you are able to come to worship. We have missed you recently. When you’re not with us, there is a “(family name)-shaped” hole in our church family. If something has occurred that we might be of help with, please call on us. If you all have just been too busy to come, then we will call on you and talk about it! Know that you are missed and we hope to see you soon. God’s blessings on you, (381)

Dear _____,
What a joy it was to see your wonderful face(s) in worship again on Sunday! It lifted our spirits to see you back among us; you have been missed. Please know how much your presence, prayers, and songs add to our offering to God each week. You are an important part of our church family and we will rejoice greatly when you are able to back with us on a regular basis. May God’s blessings be upon you in abundance, (382)

Dear _____ and _____,
We thank God for the love and faith-lift we experience when we think of you. Even in such hard and sorrowful times, we see the light of Christ shining in you and your wonderful family, and we are blessed. May God’s healing Spirit continue to be upon you in a mighty way until you both are able to come back and join us in all of our services, programs, and ministries. With much love, (383)

Dear _____,
Several people have commented that you are among “the missing” because a constant state of “busy-ness” is taking its toll. But we want you to remember that we need you in worship because our fire dims and the praise of our gathered community is diminished without you. So, this is a “heads up!” We will be calling on you soon to see how we can help you return to regular worship with our community of saints. In the meantime, dear Saint, know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. With love, (384)

To the Grieving (385-386)

Dear _____,
At this first (anniversary of _____’s death/Christmas) without _____, please know that we are holding you and your family in our thoughts and prayers. We pray God’s grace will continue to comfort your heart and give peace to your spirit. And may the profound grace of Christ, the deep love of God the Father, and the abiding companionship of the Holy Spirit be yours, now and always. In Christ’s love, (385)

Dear _____,
We were saddened to hear of your _____’s death. Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. We think of all of the wonderful characteristics of your dear one, and we thank God for her that was love, goodness, and joy. And we pray that God will comfort you in your loss and bless you with the Spirit’s consolation and strength as you continue to follow in the light and peace of Christ. In His Love, (386)

Those Grieving Broken Relationships (387)

Dear _____,
We want to remind you that you are in our thoughts and prayers as you make your way through the grief of _____(the divorce). Although we can’t possible imagine all that you are going through, we do know very well that God is with you and will see you through it all, not just somehow, but with grace sufficient for all your needs. May God bless you greatly at this time. And may you find the profound and healing peace of Christ within your heart and mind each day. In Christ’s love, (387)

Commendation Letters (388-396)

Dear _____,
I am so pleased to tell you of the high commendation of _____(the Session/Board) and the congregation for your good work in/at/for____ . . .
We are most grateful to you for all that you do to serve God and this church family with such grace, enthusiasm, and joy. May the Lord continue to prosper the work of your hands and heart. In Christ’s love, (388)

Dear _____,
We were thrilled with your gift of _____(money, time, energy, cookies, etc. that made our _____ such a success. Many folks have commented on your helpfulness, your cheerfulness, and your ability to _____. . .
Please know that we are blessed by all that you do to serve the Lord with gladness, and that we thank God for your presence with us. With deep gratitude, (389)

Dear _____,
Our community ministries are prospering in works of compassion and righteousness, in no small part because the God of glory hears our prayers and responds with your help. We thank God for you and for all the ways that you share the light of God’s glory and unfailing love through your ministry of _____ to _____.
May Jesus our Righteousness, continue to pave your way. With many thanks, (390)

Dear _____,
Our blessings abound in this church family, and one of the reasons is because folks like you—loaded with talent and enthusiasm—are eager to offer their gifts to the glory of God for the uplifting of the people. We’re so blessed by your presence with us and by the beautiful (music/banners/leadership, etc.) that you contribute so graciously. Thank you, thank you. (391)

Dear _____,
It’s (finally!) time for you to start accepting our accolades for your extraordinary work in making our _____(new church family picture directory) a reality. On behalf of _____ and the entire congregation, I offer you our deepest thanks. We appreciate the “sweat equity” you have given to the project. Such an investment always heaps up blessings far beyond our ability to measure them. Thank you, thank you! In Christ’s service, (392)

Dear _____ and _____,
Our (Bible Study/Home Group/Shepherd’s Meal, etc.) last night was as warm and gracious as your lovely home. God’s abundant goodness was tangible in our time together through our meal, fellowship, and the spiritual feeding we received in our Bible study. We are most grateful to you both for the blessing of your home, hospitality, faith, and joy! Many thanks and much love, (393)

Dear _____,
We have once again been recipients of your wonderful culinary skills. Our _____ (Fellowship Luncheon/Family Night Supper/Women’s Tea) was a great success in no small part because of the _____ that you provided for us. It helped make for a fabulous time of feasting and church family togetherness. How blessed we are to have you in our midst! Many thanks with prayers for grace and peace to you and your family, (394)

Dear _____,
We were certainly blessed as a church family by your leadership in worship on Sunday. Your (reading of the Scripture stories/Psalter/offering of the prayers) was expressed very well and easily heard. God was indeed praised through our worship, and your contribution was very valuable in making that happen. On behalf of the entire congregation, I extend our heartfelt gratitude for your service. In Christ’s love, (395)

Dear _____,
How kind of you to fete (our church office) with the beautiful gift of flowers! They are brightening up the days of all the staff and lift our hearts each time we see their cheery faces and smell their delightful fragrance. We are most grateful for your thoughtful gift and for all the ways you contribute to the hospitality that the church staff offers to those who come through our doors. Good job! (396)

To Young People (397-398)

Dear _____,
Your parents have told us of the excellent progress you are making in school. Your church family is very proud of you for your academic accomplishments and honors. But even more importantly, we are so very proud of you for who you are as a young (woman/man) of kindness, integrity, and courage. May God continue to lead you in the paths of Christ where peace, joy, and hope may always be found. Much love, (397)

Dear _____,
We saw your _____(picture in the paper, school play, baseball game) and want you to know how proud your church family is of your special gifts. It is wonderful that you . . . We rejoice that God has given you these talents and is helping you to use them to bless the whole community with _____ (fun, enjoyment, knowledge, etc.). We are very proud of you! With love, (398)

On the Church Prayer List (399-400)

Dear _____,
Your _____(cousin, mother, sister, friend), _____, has told us of your struggles and burdens. We want you to know that many prayer warriors in our congregation are interceding for you, seeking God’s healing touch upon you and your entire family. Although we cannot say what God’s answer may be to your prayer concerns, we can state with utmost confidence that God loves you and will shower you with saving grace, day by day. In Christ’s love, (399)

Dear _____,
Your (sister) has requested that our prayer list include you as you (serve out your prison time/await the mending of your injuries from your accident). Since we are connected through the bonds of her love, we feel that you are not a stranger to us, but a new friend. We shall stay in touch with you to remind you of just how much you are loved and cared for by our good and gracious Lord and the congregation of _____ Church. In Christ’s love, (400)

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