A Message From Your Stewardship Committee

Dear First Lutheran,

“What we can do” is our theme for this year’s stewardship season. So, maybe we should begin with what we can’t do. We simply cannot do anything to gain God’s grace, favor, and love for us. It’s all gift to us through Christ.

God’s love and grace are priceless.

They’re priceless, because they’re already paid in full by Jesus Christ. So there’s nothing we can do to change that…or to earn or deserve that love and grace. First Lutheran is the place where we come to hear that again and again. To encounter the words and promises and love of God for us and for our world.

We can do something with the gifts and blessings God has generously and graciously given to us. We can respond with generosity, love, and service on behalf of our neighbors. That’s why, during this season, we take time as a church to give thanks for God’s steadfast love in our lives and our congregation, and we pledge our resources to the ongoing work of Christ in this church.

Pledging is by far the best way to support the ministry of First Lutheran. 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). This allows us to plan our annual budget and programs more effectively and responsibly.

2025 Budget: $1,016,500

2026 Budget: $1,000,000

(This is a preliminary budget–our leadership will be adjusting that budget during the rest of 2025.)

About 85% of our budget comes from pledges from you.

2026 pledge goal: $850,000

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 2025: __________________ (e.g., $1,500)

Total annual income: ___________________ (e.g., $50,000)

Amount pledged divided by annual income: ______________ (e.g., 1,500/50,000 = 0.03 or 3%)

• Prayerfully consider increasing your giving in 2026 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.

Where does the stewardship money go? 100% to ministry. Your pledges support all the expenses of day-to-day ministry including worship and music expenses, local and global outreach (local, synod, and global benevolence), youth and family ministry, education and community programs, justice 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 life of trusting God with all we have. God has called us together in mission, has called us together with purpose, and continues to equip us to do God’s work.

Over the next five weeks, we’ll explore more of our “What we can do” theme. We’ll also hear from church members about congregational ministries that are connected with the First Lutheran’s vocations of discipling, welcoming, embracing, partnering, and advocating, all under the foundational vocation of accompaniment.

On October 18 and 19, you will be invited to bring your pledge card to worship or submit it online along with your Discipleship Plan for 2026. Mark your calendars for our stewardship wrap-up and celebration (and potluck!) on Sunday, November 9 after worship.

We ask you to give generously to First Lutheran for our 2026 mission and ministry budget. Invest an amount that is meaningful to you and impactful for the ministries that matter to you most at First Lutheran.

Gratefully,

2025 Stewardship Committee

Mark Wemhoff, Linda Bogenreif, John Bonaiuto and Pastor Erin Heidelberger