Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
To say this year has been challenging is a bit of understatement, but NFUMC continues to step up to the challenge. With the resurgence of COVID-19 cases this summer, we had to suspend the restart of in-person services immediately after they began – not the best way to bring a new pastor onboard! However, Pastor John and the Board worked together, supported by our dedicated volunteer teams, to launch our ‘Parking Lot Revival’ keeping us socially distanced while being spiritually connected. We also continued the online video sermons which are a big hit with 200+ views each week allowing us to reach those who are home bound and the local community.
Of course, one area that is particularly challenging for our church is the finances. As I have said before, we are now a small church with a large campus which places significant pressure on our budget for the mortgage, utilities, and maintenance. We started planning earlier this year to turn that challenge into an asset by finding ways to generate revenue from our buildings to offset those costs, but that plan was another victim of COVID-19. Frankly I was very worried in the spring about the financial solvency of our church. But something miraculous happened; while the giving to other churches dropped precipitously with the cessation of in person services, the giving by our congregation stayed steady and has actually grown a bit during the last six months!
We now enter the time of the year when as a church we make our commitments for the next year of our prayers, presence, gifts, and service to support our ministries and programs. This month we will ask all of you to give prayerful consideration to your part of that mission. Yes, the financial pledge is a big part of that, but not the most important part. The most important part is to have you engaged in our church in a way that strengthens your connection to God and Jesus Christ.
As you receive your Stewardship package, please think about how you can contribute to one of our volunteer teams which are so vital to the mission of our church. No contribution of your time and talent is too small; just a few hours a month by many people adds up quickly to keep our programs and ministries going and growing!
I thank all of you for your participation and commitment to North Fayette UMC. Working together, we will continue to serve as disciples of Jesus Christ to the world.
Yours in Service,
Steve Justice
2020 NFUMC Board Chair
