Dear Friends and Family of RRUMC,
I graduated from seminary all the way back in 1998. Now that I have been in ministry for 27 years, I am reminded almost daily of all the things that seminary did not teach me, especially in a church the size of RRUMC.
Things such as dealing with attorneys, insurance companies, landscaping contracts, HVAC issues, and so many other things. The most important thing they left out of my seminary education was the financial side of the operation of the church. Now that I reflect back on it, I think that was for a good reason.
Seminary was all about my relationship with Jesus Christ and how that gets lived out as a pastor of a church. If I am not grounded and rooted in my love for Jesus Christ, none of the aspects of the church will bear any fruit. If Christ is not in my heart, I won’t preach well, pray well, teach well, counsel well, or lead well. I think that is why seminary may not have taught the financial side of running a church, at least while I was there. I need to get my faith right before anything else can be done right and done well at a church.
That is how we approach Consecration Sunday each year here at RRUMC. As you know, at our church we do not give to a budget. What people decide to financially give to the church becomes the budget for the next year. Consecration Sunday is all about knowing who you are and whose you are long before you ever think about what God is calling you to give to His church. That is what makes Consecration Sunday so unique and so successful. The question of giving at this church is about your faith and what God is calling you to give and not what the budget needs.
We want people to go to their hearts long before they go to their wallets or checkbooks. Consecration Sunday will be on Sunday, November 13, this year. At all of the services that day you will be asked, as a part of worship, to prayerfully consider what God is calling you to give to RRUMC for the 2023 year.
I hope and pray that you have been touched by God and his love for you in some way, shape, or form here at RRUMC. It could be through worship, Upward Sports, music, Car Cruise ministry, serving at the Twice Blessed Free Store at Story Church, or any other of the many ways that our church is helping people meet Jesus Christ in the midst of their story.
It is an honor and privilege to be a part of your story. It is an honor and privilege to be able to be your senior pastor. In my 11 years here, I have watched this church, and all of you, year after year, continue to be so generous, selfless, and gracious.
As we look into 2023, may we see all the amazing things that God has planned for our two campuses, each and every one of us, and especially YOU. I pray that your story continues to come to life as a friend and family member of RRUMC.
As your story comes to life, I invite you to prayerfully consider what God is calling you to give as we look into the excitement that God has for us in 2023. Thank you, in advance, for your love and generosity.
Peace and Blessings,
Rev. Dan