Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

As the Lay Directors of the Cum Christo Movement, we are asking you to prayerfully consider making a gift to our annual Sustaining/Outreach Fund. As you know, it takes the financial support of our community to allow our movement to continue and to grow.

Whether your weekend was just last month or over 40 years ago, you can remember the power of the Holy Spirit working through the team and the community to help each candidate feel the overwhelming love of our heavenly Father, and the gift of forgiveness freely given through the suffering and death of our brother Jesus.

In 2008, through your financial and personal generosity, we have been able to reach out as the Hands of Christ and sustain these programs of the Cum Christo Movement: three Cum Christo Weekends, 47 weekly Ultreyas, two Leaders’ School Orientation Weekends, a Day of Reflection in February, a Seder Meal in March, an Ultreyafest in August, and a Clergy Appreciation Dinner in October. In addition, our Outreach Programs continue to bring Christ to the poor and include providing many needed supplies to the Columbus Homeless Foundation and supporting St. Lawrence Haven on a daily basis.

After the Catholic Diocese could no longer fund Cum Christo and we became self-sustaining, we were advised by a financial committee that we should always have three-years of funds available: one year of operating funds and two years in emergency reserve.

Our goal for this coming year is to raise $35,000 dollars. This will allow us to maintain our programs and build our fund base from $50,000 toward our target of $100,000 which will secure our movement.

Please use the online pledge card to make contributions to the Cum Christo Sustaining/Outreach fund or to make a donation in honor or memory of a loved one. You may even want to consider a pledge of a monthly or quarterly donation. If you make memorial donations, a note acknowledging these gifts will be sent to the recipient on your behalf. We ask that you include your email address so that an acknowledgment of your gift can be sent to you electronically to help defray mailing costs. Your contribution can be sent in the enclosed pre-addressed envelope.

The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own. Acts 4:32 Stewardship calls us to recognize, just as the early Christians did, that none of our possessions are our own. All that we have - our health, our education, our skills, our talents, and our livelihood - are gifts from God. The natural reaction when someone gives you a gift is to want to give something back. You have been blessed with a wonderful gift on your Cum Christo weekend. What can you give back to Cum Christo?

Once again, we thank you for your loving support of our beloved movement. Christ continues to count on each of us to be good stewards and faithful servants of the many gifts and talents with which we have been blessed.

De Colores,

Sonny & Elaine Beem


This year's total Sustaining Fund contributions