Dear Beloved,

When I think of what it means to be the church, I always go back to Acts 2:42-47

The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the community, to their shared meals, and to their prayers. A sense of awe came over everyone. God performed many wonders and signs through the apostles. All the believers were united and shared everything. They would sell pieces of property and possessions and distribute the proceeds to everyone who needed them. Every day, they met together in the temple and ate in their homes. They shared food with gladness and simplicity. They praised God and demonstrated God’s goodness to everyone. The Lord added daily to the community those who were being saved.

I love this section of scripture and, 2,000 years later, it still speaks to a way for us to be together. Granted, we do not live together in a giant commune with a single shared purse and have every meal together, but as a church community we share meals, whether that’s in fellowship or taking communion. We share our prayers in so many different ways. We take our resources and fund important needs through communion rail offerings, Christmas in October projects, and other special offerings all significantly increased through our incredible Mission Match program. We do praise God together and study the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles. And though our numbers may not grow daily, we did add 25 new members in 2025. In other words, we do share our time, our talent, and our treasure.

Stewardship is the opportunity for each of us to prayerfully and thoughtfully renew our commitment to God and one another for another year. How is it that we wish to be together? Where is God calling us? Where are we being invited? What part will we each play? How will we support one another and our shared work?

Our stewardship theme this year is Abundant Life: Trusting God and One Another. The Greek word that captures this kind of “aliveness” is ZOE. It is not merely having a pulse, but being enlivened by the Spirit. We are not meant to merely survive on our own, but to thrive together. Abundance is not extreme excess but enough. And with God and one another, we can trust that there will be enough of whatever it is to go around. As followers of Christ, we know that God travels with us and God also gives us fellow companions on the journey. Together, we can do so much more than we could ever do alone.

Over three Sundays (please note the adjusted schedule due to the winter storm), we will explore different aspects of the resources we steward: our talent (February 1), our treasure (February 8), and our time (February 15). Enclosed are three commitment cards. I invite you to begin prayerfully considering your commitments for 2026 and to join us each Sunday as we explore these topics together. Will you join us?

God’s Love and Mine,

Pastor LyAnna Johnson