A Letter from Denise

I received this message that Denise shared with some of her friends here at church. I thought that she says things well.


Hi Everybody--
My apologies in advance for the following: this mass mailing to all my dear FUMC friends and family, the shameless request for money included in this mailing, and any toes I may step on as a result. I hope that I can say all of this respectfully, kindly, and thoughtfully, and please know that no disrespect is intended.

With that said, I am sure that most of you have either heard the news or seen it in yesterday's FUMCs weekly bulletin sent out by Pastor Young Son. The top story was the reconsideration of the 2009 Ministry Plan and the almost $90,000 in cuts that our pastoral team is looking at making. You can see the details of John's note here in case you did not get a chance to read the article:

http://www.fumcaustin.org/news/details/ministryplan09.html

As most of you already know, our church has never fully recovered from the cuts that had to be made during the economic slump of 2002, during which time we lost staff and many other cuts were made. Our pastoral team is working hard to find the $90,000 to cut out of the expenses without having to cut staff. This includes pay cuts for all members of the pastoral team and numerous other cuts as well.

I also know that when you all made your pledges for the 2009 ministry year, you gave prayerful consideration to the amount you pledged. I know that I did as well, but when I saw yesterday's note, I knew that further consideration of my pledge was required immediately. Let me tell you a little about what I thought and prayed about when I initially made my pledge.

Flash back to last Fall. It was time to look at the finances and make my annual pledge. I have not always been a very good steward of my money and I am continually working to change that. I have a very good job and I make a very good wage with good benefits that provide me with health insurance. Many of my friends are single parents like me, but they have not had the advantages and good luck that I have had in my 17 years as a technical writer, and often I have watched them struggle to make a living wage. I have been able to grow professionally, and as a result, I make a very good professional wage. I have many other blessings as well: own home, paid-for car, little to no debt, and college expenses that I can actually afford for my daughter.

So there I was, looking at the pledge form, sitting quietly in God's presence to try to discern what He would have me do, and when all was said and done, I made my pledge and the pledge was the same as the previous year. The year ended with sudden job uncertainty in an industry in which many of my peers have been affected by layoffs, forced time-off-without-pay, freeze in pay raises, and no bonuses. I told myself, "At least I am not having to cut back," which I have had to do in previous years. I listened prayerfully and thought I had discerned caution and that that was the right thing to do with my money. I wrote in the amount, signed my pledge card, and turned it in.

But this story does not end there. It only took a moment after reading John's note yesterday to know that prayerful reconsideration of my 2009 ministry pledge was needed. And as I sat for a quiet moment in God's presence, He lifted from me my own selfish worry for the uncertainty of the economy and my own financial and employment stability. He reminded me, in those still, quiet moments, to put my faith in Him, faith that I did not put in Him when I first made my pledge. I have a good job today and for the near future. That could change at any time, but I will cross that bridge with God if and when I get to it. The Lord has always provided for me, and my blessings are great, too numerous to count. That said, I wrote to our pastoral team and increased my weekly pledge. I also pledged to speak with my church friends and family to encourage them, as they are able, to increase their giving to the church we all love so much (which is why I am writing you all today).

Many of you have probably already acted on John's call for help and I know that that is greatly appreciated. Many of you have also probably already given more prayerful consideration to your pledge and are unable to give more, and that is perfectly understandable. But, if you were like me (and I am embarrassed to say this: forgetting to put my faith in God), and you "erred on the side of caution" in your pledge but know that there is more to give, then I hope you will consider that as well.

The Bible says it so clearly: "Have faith in God," Jesus answered. (Mark 11:22) That is a lesson I will do my best to not forget again.

You all are my church friends and family and have blessed and enriched my life in many ways. For all of you, I will always be grateful. And for the programs, pastors, and ministries supported by our church, I know that we have all received great benefit. 2009 will be a hard year, but thankfully, God is walking with each of us, all of us, every single one of us...every step of the way.

Grace and peace,
Denise :-)

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Denise C. Fischer
...and have a nice day!
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Worry does not empty today of its troubles.
It empties tomorrow of its strength.