"And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good...” - from Paul’s 1st letter to the church in Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 5:14-21)
Dear Friends, October 18, 2023
We continue what we started a year ago - daring to believe we can fully fund the church we love!
This means we pause not only to intentionally bring to mind what we love about Haslett Community Church, but also to directly connect our love to the money we invest in the life, mission, and ministry of this congregation.
Fully funding the church we love sounds simple enough, obvious even, but the hard truth is for the past couple years our expenses have exceeded the income received from members and friends for the basic operating budget of the church. Some might take this as cause for alarm, but we on the stewardship team believe there’s no need for alarms yet, but it is cause to remain intentional and ask again, what will we choose to hang on to?
Perhaps you have felt it recently too. There's a growing energy in this place. Visitors are coming through the doors, and going against the trend of churches losing people every day. Good people are showing up and sticking around! They have found something good here and are choosing to hang on to it.
Our study groups have active participation. Our green team is making a difference in the church and the community. The legacy of our music program is being carried forward by the next generation. Events like our September Chicken BBQ have renewed vitality. Our youth program continues to grow in ways that other UCC churches twice our size can only dream of!
The love that is shared among the people of HCC, the love we have for what happens within these walls, and the love we have for caring for our wider community are treasures that we hang on to.
Even prior to the past few years, sociologists have been telling us that we are suffering from a pandemic of loneliness. We are in desperate need of community - a group of good people, doing good work, and trying their best to take care of each other well. Maybe you have many places in your life where this happens, but my guess is for most of us, HCC is near the top of the list of things that remind us we are worthy of belonging.
Let's fully fund this church. It’s time. HCC is a unique place of belonging and goodness, theological compassion and hope, and it makes sense that we invest our personal labor and earnings into it. For the The love of God is real in this place! Not only for ourselves, but for everyone who holds on to it.
The Church Council is not increasing our budget this year. It is a modest budget that covers the basic needs of the congregation, and we are only 9% away from a fully funded budget. This time last year, the gap was twice that size!
This letter asks you to prayerfully consider what you can pledge in 2024, as well as to ask you to fulfill your 2023 pledge if you are able to. If you haven’t pledged before, there is no time like the present. You can give electronically, you can text to give, you can give by dropping checks or cash in the offering plate. A pledge for 2024 helps us know what you plan to give so we can plan the budget responsibly.
If you have never put your money in an offering plate or texted a contribution (it's so easy, it's almost fun!) or written a check in support of the mission and ministry of HCC, we invite you to consider what financial contribution you can make still this year, as well as in 2024.
We're asking that all of us consider a 9% increase from the money we spent on the church this year, pledged or otherwise. And if you’ve never contributed your money to HCC before, try considering your offering as a weekly expense, and thank you for jumping in!
Friends, hang on tight. We are almost there. We have almost fully funded the church that we love! It is well within our capacity, and when we each do our part, the good that we share goes far beyond our needs and accomplishes more than we imagine.
While we gratefully receive pledges at any time, we will be able to best plan if we receive your pledge by October 29, 2023. You can pledge by: (1) Mailing the pledge card to Haslett Community Church, PO Box 217, Haslett MI 48840, (2) Sending an email with your name and pledge amount to hccfinance@att.net or (3) Calling the church office at 517.339.8383, ext. 10, and leaving a message with your name and annual pledge.
If you have any questions, you can be in touch with the church office or Pastor Betsy. Thank you for taking time to consider pledging to support Haslett Community Church as we begin imagining abundance in the coming year!