The Future is Now

PRESIDENT’S BULLY PULPIT #10 -- FEBRUARY 2016

You know the old saw about the volunteer fire department, “Never lost a foundation!” When our actions are in danger of being too little & too late, we could lose our home. 1stUUPB in a figurative sense is “on fire.” The Buildings & Grounds Committee headed by Sylvia Ansay and Ben Juhl, has mounted an in-house survey of our two buildings, their exterior and interior, and our outdoor campus. The survey results point to the need for a long-term rehabilitation plan that will require substantial funding. Like squirrels who husband acorns for the winter, we parishioners need to squirrel away dollars to secure our future. The time to do it is NOW.

February is Stewardship Month at 1stUUPB. This is not simply “fun and games” time. This is when we each need to seriously evaluate how much our church means to us. We operate on the basis of “volunteerism.” There is no church-linked IRS that compels us to pony up our annual dues. We are left to give based on conscience, i.e. what we know we can reasonably afford, how much we value our church, and our understanding of what is required to keep the doors open and the lights on.

If people are looking for a number by which to measure their pledge, something around $1600, give or take, is probably about as good as any other. Giving less than $1600 means someone else needs to make up the difference; giving more than $1600 means you are pulling more than your weight -- thank you! We need as many “extra-weight pullers” as we can get because there is more at stake than merely “getting by.” Since the future is now -- each of us should give all we can afford. We should secure the future health and well being of our spiritual home if we truly love it. Be sure to sign up for our free February 21st luncheon and small group discussions, and plan to fill out your pledge card that same Sunday.

Andrew Kahn
President 1stUUPB