A Christmas and New Year Celebration!
To the Congregation of Grace United Methodist Church,
We have now been using our mailed envelope system for a full year, and, by and large, it has been a great success! We’ve increased the total amount of money given by the congregation in 2024, reduced the total time needed by our volunteers and staff to track your gifts, and, perhaps best of all, we have increased our communication with the congregation. Of all the benefits to mailing our offering envelopes, this is the part about which I am most excited. You receive a calendar of upcoming events, you hear about ways you can support the church and I get to write you and share some of the amazing things happening here!
Despite the many challenges facing the church each year, there are so many good things to celebrate! We saw a dramatic rise in Sunday School attendance and youth ministry, the Christmas Fair was more successful than ever since relaunching it and people are growing in their relationship with God. When I have people come to my office and ask about how they can read the Bible in a way that it makes sense, or a confirmand asks a question about why Jesus did something that seems controversial, I know that they are wrestling with important questions that will help their faith grow. That’s what a financial gift to Grace United Methodist Church is – a commitment to helping people grow in faith, from children to adults, from birth to the last breath they take on earth. I hope you’ll join in on this important work and make a commitment to continue or increase your financial giving to the church.
We’ve made one large change in our financial process for 2025. Pushpay was the company we used for several years to process online gifts. That is no longer the case. Instead, we are using Servant Keeper, which is the same company we use for our membership program. This will further streamline our giving and our membership process all while reducing the associated cost. To give online you can still go to www.gumc.org/giving, but you’ll need to register a new account the first time you give. After that, it’s just as easy as before, except now you’ll be saving the church money.
As always, if you would like to be removed from these mailings for any reason, please contact the church office so we can update our records and reduce the associated cost of these mailings at 201-891-4595 (ext. 1) or email Hilda at info@gumc.org. You’ll still be able to find our mailed letters on our website at www.gumc.org/blog. Our church seeks to be an inclusive community passionately following Jesus Christ. Thank you for your contribution toward this important goal and may you experience God’s blessing in your life as you support Grace United Methodist Church.
In Christ,
Pastor Brian Neville