Special news: Countryside, Great Plains conference & World wide UMC updates
Special news updates will be reported here. We share special messages from our pastors, our Great Plains Conference, World Wide UMC and more.
Advent greetings and prayers for a Blessed Christmas and New Year.
Each week worship will be wonderful. Special services include the Laudate Ringers concert Dec. 4 at 7pm. Our Children’s led Christmas service on Dec. 18 at 9:30am. Christmas Eve Worship at 2,5, and 8pm. Christmas Morning Worship at 10:00am. New Year’s day worship on-line only posted at 10:00am.
This year our Christmas Eve offering is designated for our Mission and Ministry commitments. We have stretched to cover the startup costs of our new Child Development Center and the Interest on our Construction Loan. Now, we want to make sure to care for our missional commitments. Your “Christmas Eve Gift” will help us reach our year-end goal.
Our Church Council meets Dec. 11 after worship to vote on contracting with Horizon Stewardship to lead us in a Spring Campaign to pay off the debt. We needed about $860,000 more than we received in the 2020Vision Campaign, in order to complete the project. We are so glad we did! Costs have soared since our work was done. We locked in a 4.7% interest rate which protected us as well. We have about $190,000 in unreceived pledges we expect to come in. Still, that means our current debt is about $1,062,000. I am excited to get our project fully paid off. There is a list of additional projects we would like to do if enough funds are committed. Fortunately, short of a crisis, our additional projects can wait and not require increasing the debt.
We are pleased to announce that a new Associate Pastor has been appointed to begin with us January first! It’s unusual to receive a pastor mid appointive year so we are grateful. Pastor Jeff Potter will be with us ½ time and maintain his other ½ time appointment to University UMC be the Washburn Campus. Be ready to help us welcome Jeff!
Blessed “Holy-days,”
Peace, Pastor Paul Wilke