BAKER'S NOTES

2 Corinthians 9:7-8

7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

There is a consistent theme in scripture, God has given us enough. God created the heavens and the earth and said it is good. We were created in God’s image, and God said it is good. God made covenants with Abraham, Moses, David, and the new covenant in Jesus Christ. We have enough, because God has promised to always be with us. God will not leave us. 

God has given us enough!

I’m thankful for the way the members of Faith UMC have given so generously during the pandemic. Your gifts are a wonderful blessing to our church and its ministries. Many churches have seen a decrease in giving, because of their members who were financially impacted by the pandemic; however, I’m not aware of anyone at Faith UMC who lost their job or had their hours cut. This has helped us remain financially strong. 

The Leadership Team remains confident in our ministry and our faithful charitable gifts. We are holding our annual pledge drive and asking you to give additional gifts to improve our audio-visual capabilities within the church and to install a permanent live streaming system. We were blessed to receive a $14,000 gift toward this project, and we have an additional $6,000 in memorial money that we can dedicate to the improvements. 

The cost of the Audio Visual Project for the church is as follows:

$20,895 Streaming system and projectors in Sanctuary

$31,700 New integrated sound system in the Sanctuary: digital sound board, microphones, speakers, and ancillary equipment

$7,650 Projector system connecting the Sanctuary to the Fellowship Hall and a direct connection in the Fellowship Hall

$59,545 Total cost 

We are improving our live streaming system to sustain us through the remainder of the pandemic, improve our worship experience, reach our members and guests online, and enhance the programming in our church. 

We ask you to prayerfully consider increasing your gift to the 2021 general fund and give an additional gift to the Audio Visual Project. We will do our best to hold the 2021 budget to the smallest possible increase. 

Your generosity is greatly appreciated. 

(We will have a short meeting after church, on October 25th, to answer any of your questions.)