Dear St. Paul's Family,

Over the last few weeks, we’ve begun a conversation about what it looks like for each of us to participate in growing the ministry of St. Paul’s UMC. Our theme is One Body – Many Gifts – One Shared Purpose. It is an expression of Ephesians 4:12. This theme is our next faithful step as we fulfill our vision to bring Good News, With Great Joy, to All People. The Letter to the Ephesians, in Chapter 4, reminds us that supporting and partnering with one another is crucial to revealing the kingdom of heaven in the world. On October 25, we begin the planning for a new year of ministry, building on the success of this year. By committing financial resources to our ministries, we are establishing a strong foundation for the future. By sharing your pledge, you help the church leadership with budgeting and establishing ministry priorities for 2027.

Our faithful stewardship will strengthen our baseline ministries in worship, education, mission, and fellowship. It will empower an expanded mission footprint as we reach deeper into the mission needs of our community. It will also enable us to restart ministries we lost to the COVID pandemic. Collectively, we will be creating opportunities to deepen our individual faith and answer our individual calls to ministry.  

This is a critical first step, but it isn’t the only step. You will notice a tear-off on this year’s Pledge Card that you can keep throughout the year. This tear-off is a reminder of our deeper call to stewardship that is part of the spiritual DNA of our Wesleyan tradition. It is a reminder that our call to steward all the gifts we receive from God includes our prayers, our presence, our witness, and our service in addition to our gifts. This tear-off is in a form that you can carry with you. You can tape it to your bathroom mirror or refrigerator. You can use it as a bookmark in your Bible. It is a regular reminder of everything we bring to our SPUMC mission.  

Your pledge is strictly confidential. Your pledge will only be known to our Church Administrator and our Church Treasurer. This is because your pledge is, first and foremost, between you and God.  

If you have questions about the process, please reach out to Megan Wade in the office for assistance.

Serving Christ with You,

Pastor J.T. Greenleaf