November 1, 2018, All Saints Day
Fellow members of Prince of Peace-
During the Adult Forum this past Sunday, we shared a story of remarkable generosity that will be benefitting our community of faith in some very significant ways in the years to come. Now we need to share this story with all of you as it impacts each of us and our common calling to be the church together in this place. It’s especially fitting that we share this with you today, the day we celebrate All-Saints Day.
Rose Diestler
Long-time Prince of Peace member Rose Diestler passed away in April of this year and her name has now joined the “Cloud of Saints” that will grace our sanctuary this month. As she was arranging her affairs, Rose recognized how important this church has been in her life by naming Prince of Peace as a beneficiary of her estate. In particular, Rose has given us her home, its contents, and one of her investment accounts. Her home is estimated in value to be approximately $250,000 and the investment account at just over $500,000.
Wow. Take a moment to let that sink in. Rose, who loved roses, growing and judging them, who lived just off Roselawn Avenue, who lived and went to church in Roseville has gifted this community of faith upwards of three quarters of a million dollars. Rose had very few relatives but along with her fellow rose enthusiasts, her neighbors and friends, the people of this church were her family. We look forward to hearing your ideas on how this gift might best be put to use. We also know that this takes time and want to give ourselves the space to be thorough in our discernment. At a minimum, we hope that Rose’s generosity might also inspire you to consider how God is at work through your own relationship to Prince of Peace and your on-going support of the ministry we share in this place.
The leadership of the church has taken steps to receive the various particulars of Rose’s bequest. The home is secured and being maintained and the investment funds have been transferred into our possession. Now the next step of our work begins. We are forming a “Generosity Committee” to gather your ideas and to lead us through the process of considering all the possible ways God might work through these resources to further the mission of this church and allow Rose’s legacy to continue blooming in our midst. Please let us know if you would be interested in serving on this committee.
Lastly, know that one thing we do not expect to do with Rose’s gift at this time is to pay off the debt we have incurred when we committed to resurfacing our parking lot. The congregation will go forward with a capital campaign to cover this expense as planned and approved at the June semi-annual meeting. Rather, let’s have Rose’s life of service to this church and her final blossoming gift become a witness that God might continue to accomplish remarkable things through each of us.
With grateful hearts,
Your Pastors and Congregation Council