November 1, 2025
Beloved of God,
It is something some of you have heard from Rob often enough, but something we both think of often as we make decisions about where our money will go: “There are things more important than money, but they all cost money.”
Our church is all about introducing folks to Christ, helping them to let Him uplift their lives, and blessing those beyond our church by our service. All that is more important than money, but it costs much money. For example, we have a facility that is a tool in Christ’s hand by which He works the wonders of His love for many; but it is large and now over sixty years old, and it needs a lot of expensive maintenance and upkeep. To keep it useful to God, we have to spend a lot of money on it.
The two of us never think about how we might spend our money without thinking about how we might spend it in the priority purposes of Christ. And we are aware that, if we are restrained in spending it on ourselves, we can be more generous in spending it for others, either directly or indirectly, in Christ’s name.
The first three Sundays of this month, we will, among other things, reflect on the concept of stewardship: the idea that God owns everything we possess and that we just take care of it for Him in light of His interests. In other words, it is the idea that we are to manage the time, talents and treasure He’s entrusted to us to use well in line with His loving and just concerns for everyone. The third Sunday this month will be Pledge Sunday, the day on which we may make faith promises to commit a certain portion of our finances to the purposes of God through this particular church.
We invite you to begin praying now about how much of Your money the One who once turned water into wine might want you to give Him that He might turn some of your money into lives uplifted by His grace.
The second half of this month we focus more than usual on expressing gratitude for God’s generosity to us: by means of an online Thanksgiving worship service and by means of our preparing, as the season of Advent starts on the fifth Sunday, to celebrate God’s greatest gift: the incarnation of His Son our Savior.
As the nights grow longer, and the darkness arrives earlier and lingers longer, may the light of gratitude for God’s grace brighten all our hearts!
Warmly in Christ,
Pastors Adele & Rob Langworthy
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