Over the past three months, we have been talking about our work and our future here at the Big Red Church. In July, we shared our dreams of what we might do together next year. And we dreamed big. In September, we met to talk about how those dreams might look in the form of a budget. There might have been a little sticker shock. But we didn’t say “we should stay the same,” or “let’s do less.” Because we are doing great things here.
And this month is our annual giving campaign, so we are encouraging each other to give, so that we can keep doing great things.
After the conversations in July, you might remember that all of the notes were used to make a word cloud. That’s a picture of the words that were written down most often in those notes. Look for that word cloud this month in our giving materials.
And each week this month in worship, inspired by that word cloud, we are showing off a different perspective on what we are doing here at the Big Red Church.
What are we doing here? We are welcoming anyone and everyone, no matter where you are in your journey. We are connecting with each other, especially intergenerationally. We are working for justice in our community and in our world, by serving those around us. And we are supporting the church and each other, especially by recognizing the importance of our children.
To help keep doing what we are doing here—and more—there are many ways you can give:
- You can use the Givelify app on your phone to give weekly, monthly, or any time you feel moved—but setting up a recurring gift is easy, and you should do it. Just download the app, set up your payment information, and search for “First Congregational Church of Fresno.”
- You can give by contacting the church office and setting up a regular bank-to-bank transfer or a credit card payment.
- And you can give in the weekly offering.
But no matter how you give, every year we need you to help us by filling out a pledge card with the amount that you expect to give. Even if you only plan to give a few dollars, the pledge card is important. The pledge cards tell us how much giving we as a church can expect to receive in the next year. And that information helps us make plans, like building the budget that will be presented to the congregation at the annual meeting in January. The pledge cards are your way to be part of the plan. Please give, and please fill out the pledge card.
Everybody counts, and everything you give counts.
Thank you, from the Stewardship and Sustainable Growth Committee.