Pastor’s Message

I am constantly being amazed at the generosity of the members of our church family. The missionary life of this congregation is alive and well. From members serving on community boards and agencies that address social concerns, to cooking, serving meals and cleaning up at Christ Kitchen, to volunteering at VCAM, to helping provide adequate housing for the poor and elderly, the people whom you worship with are active in their own personal mission work.

The church is also active in reaching out to this community with the good news of Jesus Christ and by helping people with the basic needs of life. Regular financial support of VCAM is included in our budget and thousands of dollars are given in support of various outreach ministries through communion rail offerings each month. Saturday night during Victoria's Christmas parade the church will be giving free cups of coffee and hot chocolate to folks watching the parade around the church. Of course, they will also receive an invitation to worship with us.

I have not even mentioned the giving to this community through the ministries of the United Methodist Women and United Methodist Men or our Methodist Day School, but you get the picture. We are a giving family!

Another way we participate in the outreach and mission work of the church is through our apportionments. The dollars we give through apportionments makes us part of the worldwide ministry of the United Methodist church. For example, while the United States is at war in Afghanistan, the United Methodist church has distributed thousands of survival kits to innocent Afghan citizens who are in the midst of intense suffering. These kits contain a tent, blankets and other items necessary to maintain physical life. Without each local church giving through apportionments, this relief ministry would not be possible. While most of us cannot go to Afghanistan or other countries or other states, we do participate in God's work there through our apportionment giving.

FUMC has a history of fully supporting the ministries of the church through our apportionments, and I anticipate this year will be no different. With about $25,000 left on 2001 apportionments, we do have work to do in December. This is not an unusual position for our church to find itself in. During Advent and Christmas as much as 15% or more of the yearly budget is given. Let our giving be full of joy, gladness and generosity as we make our response to God's priceless gift to us, Jesus the Christ. May God bless you as together we continue the proud tradition of giving in this congregation. See you in worship.

Grace and peace, Ricky Sanderford