Dear Church Family!

 

What an incredible honor for me to send you my first “Stewardship Letter!” I say this even though an annual stewardship campaign for the local church can easily cause an eyeroll for some of us, saying, “Here we go again, the church is asking for money!” Eyerolls are part of life, maybe even a natural coping mechanism. Sometimes I wonder how often God would have to roll his eyes upon observing my life if he were in the eye-rolling business: “Here we go again, Markus!”

 

God would have plenty of reason to roll his eyes at this world, but instead, he did something entirely different: He sent us His Son! Jesus came into this world to give hope, healing, and salvation. With the help of Jesus, we can live lives that are pleasing to God and that bring hope and encouragement to many others.

 

This is where our congregation comes in. At Church of the Saviour, we are in the business of making disciples that thoroughly transform lives and this world. Being here for only three months has already shown me who we are trying to be: a congregation transformed by Christ, growing spiritually, living generously, and loving courageously. This is our congregation’s formal vision. A vision is not something we have already perfectly mastered, but it is something we are aspiring to. In doing so, we can confidently say: This is us! We are aiming high! We want every child, youth, and adult in our church to grow more into the beautiful vision that God has for our lives.

 

Will you help this year by supporting our church’s effort with your financial gift? Consistent with other years, we expect our 2026 budget to increase, reflecting cost-of-living increases for our staff and building maintenance.

 

A pledge card is included with this letter. I ask you to prayerfully fill out and return it to the church on our official Commitment Sunday, October 26. You are, of course, welcome to return it before or after that date.

 

I’m looking forward to worshipping with you throughout October for our This Is Us stewardship focus, and I say this without any eyerolls! We celebrated World Communion Sunday on October 5, employing our congregation’s multi-language giftedness. On October 12, Eric Bodge, our Finance chair, will provide an update on the 2026 budget. October 19 is All-In-Sunday, when all generations will worship together in the sanctuary. Then, on Commitment Sunday, October 26, my wife Carrie, an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, will preach for the first time at Church of the Saviour.

 

With your generous support, I look forward to journeying into a future that honors God, enriches our personal lives, and transforms our community and world.

 

Truly yours, Pastor Markus