Wednesday, June 18, 2003

Re: letter regarding Christ Our Shepherd's new sign [The Citizen, June 11].

It is a shame that Diane Avillo had so many things wrong about our congregation's involvement with Fayette Samaritans and our new sign.

Our old sign was deteriorating and was in great need of replacement. If she had asked about our sign she would have learned that other than the actual wording, the sign was built for the cost of materials alone. The design and all of the labor was donated. Also, the money that was spent on the materials came from memorial money given by families who thought a lovely sign would enhance not only our property, but the city, since we sit on a prominent site. In all probability our new sign cost considerably less than most other signs for churches.

Also, so far as giving money to Fayette Samaritans, she might also be interested to know that our congregation is very generous and committed to Fayette Samaritans. Besides giving $2,400 annually from our budgeted funds, we have given approximately $10,000 in the past 14 months directly to Fayette Samaritans as well as several thousand dollars to the Fayette Samaritans Build project.

Anyone who knows our congregation knows that we are good stewards of the money which we receive and stretch every dollar as much as possible. I regret that this letter was published without someone checking into the accuracy of the statements. I would have been happy to speak with someone at your paper to correct the misinformation. The reaction to our new sign with its waterfall has been extremely positive. We rejoice that we were able to add such a beautiful feature to our property while spending very little money.

Neva A. Warren

Church Administrator

Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran Church

Peachtree City