Pledge 2023

A Letter from the Stewardship Ministry

Dear Members and Friends of Community United Church of Christ:

This letter introduces our stewardship campaign for the calendar year 2023 budget.

Thank you for continuing your faithful giving and volunteering of time and talent during this past year.  Your financial commitment has enabled us once again to fund all staff salaries, community outreach and social justice donations, our gift to the UCC Southern Conference, our church ministries, and the upkeep, repair and maintenance of our buildings and grounds. 

This proposed budget for 2023 is very similar to the current year except for two areas. First, there will be an increase in staff salaries to help keep up with inflation and our new commitments to Rev. Santi, who was ordained into the ministry this year, and who we called to be our Associate Pastor. Second, we anticipate hiring a professional church consultant as we undertake a visioning process next year.

Changing times require that we need to spend time together thinking about God’s vision for CUCC in the future. We now worship and socialize both in person and on-line on a regular basis. We have also committed to making changes to minimize our environmental impact, and we need to plan for some major capital needs. Finally, we are considering selling our low-income housing property and investing in this cause in another way. Clearly, CUCC is facing a future that will challenge our traditional ways, but also provide new opportunities for serving God and our community.

We will plan together for our future with imagination and wisdom. God’s vision for us includes loving one another, forgiveness, hospitality, service, stewardship of gifts, and honor to God.

The bible tells us in I Peter 4:8-11: “Above all, show sincere love to each other, because love brings about forgiveness of many sins. Open your homes to each other without complaining. And serve each other according to the gift each person has received, as good managers of God’s diverse gifts. Whoever speaks should do so as those who speak God’s word. Whoever serves should do so from the strength that God furnishes. Do this so that in everything God may be honored through Jesus Christ. 

These verses remind us that we are the recipients of the incredible gift of God’s grace, and we are called to steward that gift by serving others. Ultimately, our giving is one way that we can glorify God and point to God’s amazing love and grace for all of us, and that should be the cause of generosity and celebration.

All resources related to this year’s stewardship campaign are conveniently located on the CUCC website at www.communityucc.org. You may pledge by mailing the included pledge card to the church, or by pledging through the members area on the website. You do not need to be a member of CUCC to pledge support.  Please remember to pledge on or before Sunday, October 16, which is our Stewardship Sunday this year. If you have any questions about how to pledge, please contact Jeanne Ledbetter, our assistant treasurer, at atreas.cucc@gmail.com or Jeff Cole at jeff.cucc@gmail.com.

In addition to financial support, most of us support CUCC through our time and talents as well. Volunteer to be on a ministry or committee, join the choir, come to a bible study, or help at workdays or with socials. Please fill out the Time and Talent survey and return it with your pledge or fill out the survey on the CUCC website.

Your Stewardship Ministry

Joe Retzer, Bill Lamb, Jeanne Ledbetter, Carol Clark, Jason Myers, Lavon Page, Kim Bowen, Michael Cline, and Vivian Hunter