GENEROSITY 2027
Annual Stewardship Letter to First Church Seattle
Dear First Church Family,
“You prepare a table before me… my cup runneth over.” (Psalm 23:5)
When the psalmist wrote those words, he was not describing a life free of trouble; the very same psalm walks straight through the valley of the shadow of death. He was describing a God whose goodness overflows even there, a table set and a cup filled to the brim in the middle of everything. That is the God I have watched at work among us this year.
There is a palpable excitement in worship on Sunday mornings now, both in the room and online, the sense of a cup beginning to overflow. This letter is my attempt to show you where I see that abundance, to be honest with you about where we stand, and to invite you to help keep the cup full for the year ahead.
What your generosity made possible so far this year
This year has been full of signs of God’s abundance. Average weekly worship attendance has grown across the year, in-person attendance is up 5%, and online attendance is up 12%. Beyond Sunday morning, 120 of you are actively engaged in the ongoing ministries of our church.
We have been especially glad to welcome three new members this year so far, having already held two new-member gatherings in the past two months, with more to come.
From the start of the year to date, the Blaine Veterans Center has had 26 successful exits to permanent housing. In terms of beds utilized, they are at 90%, meaning we pretty much stay full all year round. The average length of stay is 80 days, showing that our program participants are able to come in, follow our housing plan, and move into permanent housing within a few months.
Our Shared Breakfast ministry served 5,963 meals so far this calendar year, powered by an average of about 15 volunteers each Sunday, from a pool of about 70 volunteers, both from within the church and from the Seattle community.
Where we stand
We currently have 53 pledged giving units (a unit is a household or an individual) with an annual pledge to First Church, and another 18 giving units who give regularly without a formal pledge. All 18 of those non-pledged recurring gifts come in online, through automatic ACH or credit-card giving, what we call “Expected Giving” in our financial reports, because by definition it is the steady, set-it-and-forget-it kind. Among our pledged givers, roughly 49% give the same way, online and automatically; about 1% give through stock; and a little under half give by check, though that picture is a bit blurry, since some households move between check, stock, and online giving over the course of the year. The rest reflects gifts we simply haven’t received yet.
Looking at how often our households give, 58% give monthly, 36% give annually, and the remaining 6% give weekly or biweekly (about 3% each).
Dreaming together
Thank you for helping our church be the church we are called to be. As we look toward 2027, our stewardship goals for the year ahead are simple and hopeful:
- Grow the number of new giving units by 10%.
- Increase automatic online giving (ACH, credit, or debit) from 49% to 54% of gifts.
- Grow our total pledged giving from $329,000 to $350,000.
For those who are joining us this year, here’s what you can expect: we are committed to giving you quarterly statements, each with a narrative letting you know how we are being good stewards of your generosity. And we will continue to offer Quarterly Conversations, inviting everyone to learn more about the life of our church and the status of our finances, and to bring their questions, all in the hope of continuing to grow and to serve our communities well as we live out our mission to tend the Soul of the City and “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world” (¶120, The Book of Discipline).
Will you join us in 2027?
If you are renewing your pledge this year, would you prayerfully consider increasing your annual pledge? Any increase helps us keep our building safe and well-maintained for the ministries that depend on it from Sunday worship to the Blaine Veterans Center to our Shared Breakfast table, so we can keep showing up for our neighbors without interruption, and if this is your first time making a pledge to First Church, welcome! We’re glad you’re here, and grateful you’re considering this step with us.
Ways to give
Giving is simple, and every gift matters. You can give online at https://firstchurchseattle.org/give/, by mail or in the offering plate, or by setting up an automatic recurring gift so your generosity continues even when travel or life keeps you away. If you’d like to give through appreciated stock, a distribution from a retirement account (including a qualified charitable distribution from an IRA), or a gift in your estate plans, our church office would be glad to help. These can be a wonderful blessing to the church and, in many cases, a wise choice for you. Just reach out to us at giving@firstchurchseattle.org — the only people with access to this email account are our Director of Operations and Lead Pastor DJ del Rosario.
When
Consecration Sunday will be Sunday, November 1st. We kindly ask that you turn in your pledge card by that date or sooner.
Thank you for your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service, and your witness. We are the church.
Peace be with you,
Rev. DJ del Rosario
he / him / siya
Lead Pastor
On behalf of First Church Seattle’s Stewardship team