CONNECT | Recurring Giving

At the end of 2014, when we pause to reflect on the previous 12 months, I'm going to say Hooray and thank you God. Why? Here are a few reasons:

• The church continued to grow. Every Sunday new people walked through the doors to worship with us. Not all of them stuck around, but many of them did. Now, coming early is the only way to guarantee a column won't block your view.
• The Rediscover Downtown Dinners in the spring catapulted us toward financial self sustainability. People increased their giving, new people committed to monthly recurring gifts, and our reserve fund got a boost from generous one-time gifts.
• On December 5, our third anniversary, we will charter as a congregation in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). That's no small miracle considering only 10 churches chartered the last year the denomination counted.
• 100 people are in Downtown Groups. That is 40% of our average worship attendance. There is your answer to why we don't mess with Sunday School.

This growth would not have happened without your continued presence on Sundays and your invitation to others to join us.  As we look forward to December 5th and rest of the year we can't help but be giddy about what is ahead.

Still, there are challenges that come with progress. We are committed to keeping church simple and unadorned, but our growth will continue to stretch our resources. We need to build capacity to serve the people and fulfill our mission.

That's the tricky way to say: more people demands more money.

So, if this is your church home and you've been putting off making a pledge or signing up for recurring giving online, now is the perfect time. You'll be a super-hero, arriving just when you need you, not a minute early or late.

It takes me hours to write a sermon and it takes Kelley days to prepare music for Sunday morning worship. So, forgive me for the guilt trip, find 5 minutes today, and give us a boost.