Come and Grow One Step: Consecration Sunday, November 15

Friends,

This Sunday, November 15, is Consecration Sunday, and I’d love to see you in worship.

We’ll welcome Rev. David Haley as our guest leader and preacher. David has been working with our Consecration Sunday Team and members of our Church Leadership Team since July. He has prayed with us, planned with us, and helped shape this day as an invitation, not a campaign. He brings a deep love for stewardship as part of discipleship, and I think you’ll be glad you heard him.

Growing as a disciple, growing in generosity

Consecration Sunday isn’t about meeting a budget. It’s about following Jesus more fully, and that includes our treasure. John Wesley called giving a means of grace, one of the ways God shapes our hearts to look more like Christ. That’s the spirit of this day.

On Sunday, David will invite each of us to prayerfully consider what God is calling us to give in the coming year. You’ll have the opportunity to share that in an Estimate of Giving Card. This is a spiritual decision, and I hope you’ll bring it to prayer, not just to your calendar or your checkbook.

You’ve already heard the stories

On November 1, Neal Beirise shared his own witness of how he grew in giving. He also handed out a simple chart that helps us see our giving honestly and imagine what one step up could look like. Find where you are, move one block to the left, and ask God whether that’s your next step.

Last Sunday, I shared my own story and invited you to begin with yourself: give something, and discover the joy of living from all that God gives. I asked you to do one thing this week: “ask God what your next step is.” And I left you with this: “Whatever it is, give yourself first. Come what may.”

Here’s a look at the card

The card is titled “Take One Step Up… For Christ and His Church.” It offers three ways to respond:

• Step Up Beyond Tithing – my desire is to do more than God’s minimum

• Step Up to Tithing – I will give one-tenth of my income to God’s work

• Step Up Toward Tithing – I’m not yet a tither, but I will move toward that goal

You’ll fill in an amount and note if it’s an increase over last year. And yes, the card says “per week,” but go ahead and scratch that out! Share your estimate weekly, monthly, or annually. You name the frequency. It’s an estimate of what you feel God is calling you to give, and it can be revised at any time.

Need more time?

Take your card home Sunday. You may return it to the church office in person or by mail.

Can’t be with us Sunday?

We’ll mail you a card next week, or you can pick one up at the church office. Call us at 252-522-3334.

Stay for lunch

After worship, we’ll gather in the Fellowship Hall for our Celebration Luncheon. We have 85 friends reserved, and we've given the count to our caterer, so if you’ve signed up, we look forward to breaking bread with you. If you haven’t reserved, please call the church office at 252-522-3334 and we’ll do our best to make room.

Come Sunday. Bring your questions, your prayers, and your open hands. We’ll take this step together.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Dennis