Commitment to Our Shared Ministry
Dear First Pres SLO Family,
Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus the Messiah, the one who was and is, and is to come.
Advent is coming (more on that next week). For now we’re moving toward the end of the church year—this week we celebrate Christ the King Sunday.
This week is also Commitment Sunday at First Pres—it’s a time to honor and pray over your pledges for the coming year of ministry together. I like to emphasize the partnership we share—all of you, the session, and myself as we listen for God’s leading and look for meaningful ways to serve our community and the world in Jesus’ name.
My hope is that each of you sees this as an invitation to the work God calls us to do.
Church budgets can be such a buzzkill sometimes—all this talk of numbers and deficits and year-to-date realities. Sometimes budgetspeak can sound like the farthest thing from joyfully serving Christ together. We miss the point when we allow that to happen. All of us know—from both our home lives and working lives—all of us know that most things happen in that combination between what we want to do, and how much it all costs.
In that sense, budgets breathe life into our vision for ministry.
As we enter the homestretch of 2024, we find ourselves behind in the revenues we hoped to have by the end of the year. We added a key staff person and expanded (modestly!) some of our existing ministries. We’ve dipped into reserves more than we wanted to, but there’s time to make up some of those shortfalls. Let me invite you to make sure your own 2024 pledge is complete, and also to consider an extra gift at the end of the year. I’ll be doing that too.
This reminder about 2024 isn’t meant to take our focus off of the coming year! We’ll be looking to make sure that our budget planning is a little tighter for 2025, while still providing the services and demonstrations of Christ’s love that this church is called to do.
All of this will happen because of you.
I’ll be increasing my pledge for 2025, and I’m asking you to consider the same.
Next year will be pivotal for us as we work to grow our ministries to children and youth, and also with older adults. Our staff is preparing, even now, to increase our effectiveness in all of the areas of our shared ministry. In order to meet the challenges—and accept the opportunities—of the coming year, we will need to be sure of our finances and capacities for growth.
You are the people who will make this happen, not only through financial support, but by your willingness to roll up your sleeves and serve where you’re called.
In this coming year, our prayer will be: “May we choose You over all things.” Please take some time to pray and reflect on your part in the work of First Pres, and to being a partner in all that we do. A pledge form is attached to this letter.
Blessings to you,
Pastor John