BECAUSE OF YOUR FAITHFULNESS
WRITTEN BY DR. DAVID SWANSON
First Pres Family,
“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given only what comes from your hand.”
1 Chronicles 29:14
It is not often I feel anything like David in the Old Testament, but in the last few months, I have. Along with our elders, I have constantly been asking the question: Who are we that we should be able to give as generously as this? Let me explain.
In 1 Chronicles 29, David has asked for an offering from God’s people in order that his son, Solomon, might complete the building of a temple for the Lord, a holy space that would become the sacred dwelling place of God. In turn, I have asked you on multiple occasions to do the same. We ask for it each week as part of our morning offering. When you give, you enable the church to become the dwelling place of God, a community of believers worshipping and serving on mission through His presence in you. Well, this year, you went above and beyond to the tune of $1.4 million dollars!
So, like David, our leaders have been asking, “Who are we?” Obviously, we merit nothing, but God has entrusted this abundance to us, so we have allocated it faithfully to numerous ministries and missions here and around the world. Further, because of your giving in the past four years, we have increased our budget for 2026-27, allowing us to hire several new employees, including our first-ever pastoral residency program to train young seminarians for ministry.
I write this letter to share with you some of the good news of that distribution so you can have a better understanding of how your offerings are impacting God’s Kingdom. First, many of you have been involved in Commission127, a ministry that enlists churches to support families who are fostering or adopting children. They have purchased and moved into a new building, allowing them to expand their ministry in multiple ways. They needed $160,000 to close their indebtedness, so we made that payment on their behalf. Second, we sent $100,000 to Quo Vadis, the same organization that we supported in 2022 during the Cup of Rice miracle. This money is for ministry to orphans and widows in Ukraine, a number that is growing rapidly by the day. The money will also be used for job training for women who now fill roles left by the many casualties of war.
In addition to these, we sent $25,000 to support the ongoing mission of Mission Emmauel in the Dominican Republic, $25,000 to Habitat for Humanity in support of land acquisition for future homes, $100,000 to Central Care Mission for needing building repairs, $140,000 for upgrades to the Lee Fellowship Hall, Reformation Chapel and the Prayer Room, $120,000 for overall mission support throughout the year, plus money for our capital reserve account.
What a joy it has been to make some of the phone calls to share this good news with those receiving funds! It also been a humbling exercise knowing the responsibility we carry for allocating what God has given in ways that honor Him. So, thank you. Thank you for your faithfulness in generosity. Thank you for allowing our church to grow in our ability to fulfill the task to which God has called us. Thank you for the witness you are being to so many mission partners. As Paul writes at the end of 2 Corinthians 8, let us continue to “excel in this grace of giving.”
It is a true joy and delight to be your pastor, and I write
With heartfelt thanksgiving,
