My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I write to you with great love in my heart for you, your families, and this ministry we share at Saints Peter and Paul.
As we embark on a fall stewardship sermon series, I want to draw your attention to the opportunity to make a pledge for your anticipated 2026 giving. Each year, we encourage you to take part in this pledge campaign as it gives you (and your family) time to pray and plan. While your pledge is certainly helpful for our leadership in making wise decisions, more importantly, it is a spiritual exercise. It gives you the opportunity to first thank God for all He has given you and then to determine what percentage you will set aside for the work of the ministry.
I am so grateful for your partnership in financially supporting the ministry of our church. Last year, when I wrote this letter, we needed to increase giving by $45,000 in 2025. So far, because of your generous participation, we are meeting that goal. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Because of your generosity, we’ve been able to help many people live Alive in Christ. Just recently, a young couple invited another young couple—who were unchurched—to attend worship with them. We gifted them Bibles and connected them to discipleship opportunities. Through relational accountability, others are finding sobriety and freedom from addiction and experiencing true life in Christ. Our Early Learning Center continues to be a foundation of faith for children and their families. A whole new generation of Michigan Tech students is leaning into our ministry as they seek to live Alive in Christ on campus. All of these things are possible because of the unity of this congregation and our collective partnership in the Gospel.
Looking ahead to 2026, we will need to increase giving by about another $45,000. A significant portion of this increase is due to the need to begin setting aside $20,000–30,000 annually over the next three years for anticipated facility improvements and repairs. Because we are debt free, we have not needed to invest heavily in our facilities for the last several years. But this “new” facility of ours is already 17 years old, and our Facility Management Team has identified a number of projects we will need to address in the coming years. We are thankful to have the ability to look ahead and prepare instead of being caught off guard by repairs that could otherwise feel like emergencies. Our goal is to cover these costs with cash on hand rather than taking on short-term debt.
Would you prayerfully consider increasing your giving by an average of $5 per week in 2026? If all of our regular giving families made that pledge, we would meet this need without difficulty.
I am so grateful to share with you, my brothers and sisters, the abundant blessings of our loving God. It is my joy to watch you live Alive in Christ as you share His life and love with those around you.
Alive in Christ!
Pastor Aaron