“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two other and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” - Luke 10:1-2 NIV
Dear Faithful Friends,
My heart is full of gratitude and excitement for the work God’s is doing in our midst! As you well know, our Administrative Council (now the SAS Leadership Team) approved a campaign for “Building the Future Together” last November. Since then so much has happened in just these first few months that I want to celebrate and share with you!
Let me begin by saying that when a church starts a “campaign” for any reason (whether for financial stewardship, a building project, church renewal, missional expansion or casting a new vision), just one of these projects would be a challenging undertaking that requires a great deal of energy and effort, with all hands on deck! So, you can imagine the magnitude of a campaign that encompasses all these factors and more.
Rebekah Simon-Peter’s 5 Surprise Elements of a Jesus-Like Dream certainly will stretch us… Regarding a Jesus-size vision, she says, “It should go beyond/or test our assumptions of what is possible (so make it audacious); It must be bigger than us; It scares us; It is about the flourishing of community, not mere surviving; and, It inspires and unifies people to do a greater things. Our current campaign encompasses all these elements and inspires us to truly trust in God. For, with God all things are possible!
Currently we are continuing to Cast the Vision for a great future using Creating a Culture of Renewal; we have shifted into the simplified accountability structure of governance; we are progressing with the “Building the Future Together Campaign” — addressing our building and properties needs, mortgage reduction, budget alignment, and implementing fundraising events up to our 180th Anniversary Celebration; and we will be developing a strategic plan for continued church growth, a Discipleship to Apostleship Pathway, and missional alignment that will extend beyond the 2-year campaign, well into the future.
What is even more amazing is our Leadership Team’s engagement for each of these efforts. We now have Work Teams supporting the Fundraising Efforts, the Budget Alignment, and for the Visioning Team. Now that we have the SAS Leadership Team structure, each of our LT members are overseeing these Work Teams as a way to fulfill our responsibilities and be more transparent and accountable to one another and our church family. We also have two new volunteers to help with the annual church audit! Plus, there’s more about our fundraising efforts in this edition.
Thank you all for your generous support of our church through your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service and your witness! The harvest is plentiful, so pray to the Lord of the Harvest for more harvest hands! We will continue to keep you informed along the journey.
Grace and Peace, Pastor Michelle
TIMELINE: We have ONE Main Goal — “Building the Future Together”
- By May, show progress in debt reduction, property and building management, and budget alignment;
- July 2026, renew our mortgage agreement;
- Nov 2025 to Nov 2027 (2-year plan) — leading to our 180th Anniversary Celebration — with two phases:
- First year (Nov 2025 to Nov 2026) concentrate on fundraising opportunities to address progress in budget alignment, mortgage reduction, maintaining properties;
- Second year (Nov 2026 to Nov 2027) focus on the events celebrating the full year of our 180th anniversary, with monthly events;
- Long term goal (5+ years) strategic planning for a sustainable healthy church growth into the future.
- The Vision is Cast to give us a focused reminder of our purpose and a guide for being the church together!
