Dear Disciples at First Lutheran,
We start with the Word. As a part of the body of Christ, that’s where we begin everything we do—with God’s Word and with full confidence that the Holy Spirit speaks to, accompanies, comforts, leads, and guides us through that Word. Ephesians 3 will guide us in the next few weeks as we embark on our annual stewardship season. Christ makes a promise that we are continually growing into God’s love for us. And, in the words of Bishop Johnson, God has entrusted this church to us so that the world can know God’s love through us.
During this season, we take time as a church to give thanks to God for cultivating love in our lives and our congregation, and we pledge our resources to the ongoing work of Christ in this church. We give because of the love we have already experienced through Christ and that we want others to experience, too.
As you look through your 2025 Annual Stewardship packet, consider how God’s love has rooted and grounded you and how you will give to the ministries of First Lutheran for the sake of the Gospel at work in our church and in the world that God so loves.
Our Cultivating Love goal is $750,000 in pledges of giving for 2025.
This goal is an 8% increase in pledges of giving over our 2024 pledges. A pledge is simply a promise to give a certain amount of funding over the coming year (the timing of that giving—weekly, monthly, or annually—is up to you).
To help us meet that goal:
When you pledge, consider proportional giving. You can do this by looking at your pledge amount from the current year and at your annual income and determining what percentage of your income makes up your current giving to the ministry of First Lutheran.
Amount you/your household pledged for 2024: __________________ (e.g., $1,500)
Total annual income: ___________________ (e.g., $50,000)
Amount pledged ¸ annual income: ______________ (e.g., 1,500 ¸ 50,000 = 0.03 or 3%)
Prayerfully consider increasing your giving in 2025 by 1% of your income. In the example above, increasing by 1% would mean giving at 4% of annual income, an increase of annual pledged giving from $1,500 to $2,000.
If you gave to the Called to Welcome capital campaign, thank you! If you have completed your pledge to that campaign, consider rolling your Called to Welcome pledge amount into your regular giving to the ministries of First Lutheran.
What does your pledge support?
- Investment in church facilities. We have already invested deeply in the infrastructure of First Lutheran to make our building a more accessible and welcoming place, one that better reflects our welcome statement and makes First Lutheran a place where people feel that they belong. The church building provides a beautiful and accessible space to worship, a gathering place for a variety of faith formation activities for all ages, a hub for learning about the needs of our neighbors and serving those needs, and a safe environment for Lincoln children to learn and grow every day at Las Abejitas Bilingual Education Center. In 2025 we will enter a new phase of paying for our building renovation and expansion that requires increased support as our mortgage becomes a line item in our general budget (previous payments came from our Called to Welcome capital campaign and our mortgage transition fund). The building also continues to need required repairs to things like the HVAC system.
- Justice in Action. In 2023, First Lutheran joined Justice in Action, a grassroots coalition of faith communities in Lancaster County to organize and address issues of justice, like mental healthcare and criminal justice reform, in the Lincoln area. As a member faith community, we pledge to support the work of Justice in Action at a level of 1% of our giving income each year.
- Director of Discipleship. We would love to add a Director of Discipleship to our staff team once again, someone who would help us as we cultivate love both within our congregation and in the community of Lincoln. Moving forward with this position will depend on the amount we can raise in pledges of giving.
- Day-to-day ministry. Your pledges also support all the expenses of day-to-day ministry including worship expenses, local and global outreach (local, synod, and global benevolence), youth and family ministry, utilities, maintenance of our building and grounds and salaries for clergy and staff who make our ministries happen.
Giving not only financially supports the ministries of First Lutheran. It also opens us up to a new life of trusting God with all we have. God is the giver of every good gift, and God calls us to cultivate love by sharing in the giving. I invite you to generously support the ministry of First Lutheran Church in 2025. Invest an amount that is meaningful to you and impactful for the ministries that matter to you most at First Lutheran.
Together in Christ,
Our Cultivating Love Goal is $750,000 in Pledges of Giving for 2025
”Cultivating love means that we steward this church that God has entrusted to us in such a way that the world knows the love of God through us.
Nebraska Synod Bishop Scott Johnson
Anna & Fred Share Their Stories of Connection
The Meyer Family Share Their Story of Community
Tom & Amy Thorpe Share Their Story of Connection, Community & Grace
Stewardship means wisely caring for something that belongs to someone else. The Bible calls us stewards of God’s creation. That means everything in creation belongs to God, not us, and we are called to take care of those things for God and to wisely use those gifts. In Christ, we are all shaped to be stewards.
What is Annual Stewardship?
Each fall, we have a season of stewardship to invite members and friends of First Lutheran to make a financial pledge for the next year’s annual operating budget.
When do I start giving?
First Lutheran is asking you to make a pledge or commitment for 2025. In other words, by pledging, you are letting the church know what you plan to give during the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2025.
What is a pledge?
An annual pledge is a commitment in faith to give to the church’s annual operating budget in the coming year (in this case for 2025). Your pledge helps us know what to expect in our budget and plan our ministry year.
Who should pledge?
EVERYONE! Whether you’re new to the congregation or a longtime member, whether you worship online or in-person, you are called to pledge!
If you have never pledged before, now is the time to start!
Every gift matters at First Lutheran and makes an impact on our mission and ministry. So, yes, even a pledge of $1 a week matters and helps us meet our goal of seeing new pledgers this year. Every gift impacts our ministry and mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
If this will be your first time pledging, consider starting with a percentage of your total household income, whether that’s 5%, 3% or 1%.
How much should I give?
First Lutheran encourages our members to use the biblical standard of the tithe (10% of annual income). Most Christians don’t start at 10% but choose a starting percentage point, such as 0.5% or 2% of their annual income, and then work to increase that percentage year by year. Of course, this is
a decision for each household to reach prayerfully. Our goal is to see each member giving in faith, in gratitude, and in love.
If you are a return pledger, now is the time to consider increasing your pledge.
We encourage you to consider starting with the percentage of your income you currently pledge and then consider increasing that by one percentage point. Reflect on the level you currently give at (e.g. 5% of your total household income) and consider increasing that by 1%.
Use this chart to help determine where your current giving lands as a percentage of your income and how you might increase that giving in 2025:
When I make a pledge, what will the money be used for?
These gifts go toward the church’s operating budget. This includes all the expenses of day-to-day ministry at First Lutheran including worship expenses, local and global outreach (local, synod, and global benevolence), youth and family ministry, utilities, maintenance of our building and grounds and salaries for clergy and staff who make our ministries happen.
Why are we talking about money?
We address Stewardship in a focused way for four weeks each year. For Christians, money is not secret or off-limits. It belongs to God. Jesus talked about it a lot. We don’t do high-pressure talks but we want to be always willing to talk about it.
How can I submit my pledge?
Online (our preferred way to receive your pledge), by scanning the QR code below with your smartphone camera or via the physical pledge card you will find included in your stewardship packet. Pledge cards may be returned in the offering plate, via mail or at the church office.
How do I make my gifts?
There are several ways:
1. Give securely online or scan the QR code with your smartphone camera.
2. Set up a recurring gift using your bank’s online bill pay service.
3. Set up Simply Giving automatic withdrawal from your bank account by contacting Wyatt Swanson at wyatt@flclincoln.org for the authorization form.
4. Mail or drop off a check to the church office.
5. Place a check or cash (use a Giving envelope) in the offering plate at any of our services.
6. Prepay for the entire year by contacting our accountant Wyatt Swanson at wyatt@flclincoln.org.
Our Cultivating Love Goal is $750,000 in Pledges of Giving for 2025
Stewardship is Discipleship
Being a disciple means sharing your talents and skills while pursuing your passions for the benefit of others. God has blessed you with unique gifts to make a positive impact in the world and transform the lives of those around you. As we look ahead to 2025, consider how you can serve, learn, worship, and pray in ways that not only enrich your faith but also contribute to changing the world for the better.
Explore All The Ways You Can Cultivate Connection, Community and Grace as a Disciple in 2025
Take some time to explore the First Lutheran Ministry Directory and reflect on the various opportunities for learning, serving and worshiping in the coming year. Identify the ministries that resonate with you and that you wish to engage with or learn more about.
Next, log into your Realm Member Account on your computer and navigate to the “Serving” section. Click on Serving to open your Serving Profile. Click on the three dots to the right of “Skills” to edit and complete your skills and interests inventory.
If you use your Realm app, click on your profile photo and click on “My Profile.” Scroll down to Manage Skills to tell us what your personal skills, abilities and passions are. Continue to scroll down to Manage Interests to identify the ministry areas you are interested in engaging with or learning more about. This will assist ministry staff and leaders in connecting you with teams, groups or roles that matter to you.
Remember, you can update your profile anytime throughout the year as you discover new opportunities or develop new interests!
Join Us for Commitment Sunday and an Afternoon of Fun & Fellowship
Join us on Sunday, October 6, for a day of celebration at First Lutheran! We will gather for worship at 8:15 AM and 10:45 AM to honor the gifts of money, time and talents that our faith community has pledged for 2025. Matt Schur will be our guest preacher for the day. Matt is a hospice lay chaplain at Tabitha and Parish Ministry Associate serving at Peace Lutheran in Plymouth.
Continue the festivities, rain or shine, at our First Fall Festival from noon to 3:00 PM. Enjoy a vibrant afternoon of fellowship and fun with your First Lutheran friends, our First neighbors and the larger community. There will be food trucks, live jazz music, games and activities for all ages, a pet blessing, a book fair and much more! We invite you to bring your friends and family—everyone is welcome!
