October 30, 2024 Weekly Update
Today the United Methodist General Board of Church & Society shared a quote by Montana’s own Rev. Steve Garnaas-Holmes on social media. This little spiritual reflection is prompted by the festivities of Halloween.
Last week we continued our stewardship worship series, “A Generous Life” as we reflected on what it means to be grounded in gratitude. Steve’s final line in the above poem – “Why don’t we live like that?” – stands out to me because at our church, we DO live like that! We welcome the stranger, comfort the afflicted, and treat others kindly. Through our compassion, advocacy, and love, our church and community better reflect God’s desires for our world.
Our Board Chair Diane Elliott spoke in worship about the Leadership Board’s challenge to help grow our Treasure Fund Endowment to help us remain a church that lives and loves like Jesus for generations to come.
If you missed last week, here’s a summary. Our Treasure Fund Endowment is 2 years old and has about $3200 invested in it through the Methodist Helping Methodist Foundation. The Board won’t use any interest or dividends from the fund until it reaches $100,000. Two households have committed to including the endowment in their estate plan. More planned gifts are welcome! We still have a long way to go to strengthen the finances of our church as we build a bridge to the next generation.
The Leadership Board designated $3000 to the endowment from a small 2023 budget surplus. The Board challenges the congregation to match that $3000 with one-time donations through the Generous Future Campaign this fall.
Check out the Generous Future display on the back wall of the sanctuary for envelopes marked $30 through $132. If every envelope is filled, we will reach $10,000 by the end of 2024! Each envelope contains a dark chocolate sweet as a “thank you” for supporting the next generation of our church!
Please return your donations with your envelope by mid-December. You can give directly to the endowment online through www.columbiafallsumc.org/give.
Blessings,
Pastor Jared
