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Over the past few years, our church has experienced something remarkable. Through strong giving and the steady support of our endowment, we have not only met our expenses — we have exceeded them. This year we were able to direct more than $9,000 of unspent income to our Missions Fund. That is an incredible blessing and a clear sign of God’s Spirit moving among us.

And yet, in the midst of this abundance, we’ve also been cautious. In hindsight, overly cautious, sometimes. Our commitment to maintaining a balanced budget has occasionally kept us from stepping boldly into new opportunities for ministry. We’ve been careful — and faithfulness requires good stewardship — but grace also calls us toward creativity, courage, and vision.

So, here’s the promise I want to share with you today: The more clearly, we can see our future income, the more boldly we can shape our future ministry. You see, pledges are not about meeting a number on a spreadsheet. Pledges help us dream. A growing budget allows us to provide care for those who are alone or struggling in our congregation.  A growing budget allows us to start new programs or grow our ministries in a changing world.  A growing budget will help us go out on mission in new ways, together!

The more pledges we receive, the more accurate our planning becomes.  The more accurate our planning, the more confidently we can build innovative ministries...and the more faithfully we can respond to the needs around us.

And the needs around us are real. Food insecurity is rising in our city. Many in our community are struggling. Every additional pledge strengthens our ability to support missions, to partner with organizations who feed our neighbors, and to be a sign of God’s hope in Galesburg.

At the same time, when giving surpasses what we expect — as it did last year — that overflow isn’t wasted or lost. It rolls into our General Fund, which is our most flexible tool for ministry. That fund allows us to respond to opportunities we didn’t foresee, to try new things without fear, and to say “yes” when God opens a door we didn’t expect.

Every gift enables ministry, but pledges give us the confidence to plan and grow.

My hope and, I believe this is God’s hope for us too, is that after several years of healthy budgets and strong giving, we can now gather our leaders, again, for a season of dreaming. I would love to host a retreat focused on the future of this congregation: how we can reshape ministry, engage our community in new ways, and strengthen the mission God has entrusted to us. With a strong General Fund and faithful pledges, that kind of visioning becomes not only possible but exciting!

And here’s something else worth celebrating: At the end of 2023, when we received pledges for 2024, this congregation made its strongest stewardship commitment in many, many years. In fact, in all the records I reviewed — going back to at least 2017 — I couldn’t find a year with higher pledges. And then, after making those commitments, many gave beyond what was pledged.

This is who you are.  You are a generous church.  You are a grateful church.

This is a church that is learning, year by year, to trust God’s abundance and to share it freely. Let’s continue to build that life together…with faith, with gratitude, and with joy.