Dear Members and Friends of Community UMC,

The well-known and much-loved hymn says, “I love to tell the story, ‘twill be my theme in glory, to tell the old, old story of Jesus and his love.”  Beloved, our story as people of faith goes back 2,000 years and gives us the ability to celebrate a story that offers freedom, wholeness, and new life for all of God’s children.

Here at Community UMC, we also have a long story that gives us much to celebrate. For seventy years, this congregation has stood as a witness to God’s faithfulness and goodness. Thousands of lives have been, and continue to be, impacted by what happens within these walls. Ours is a story of continual lifelong learning and growth, from preschoolers to senior adults. Ours is a story of thousands of celebrations of weddings, baptisms, and memorial services of faithful saints. It is a story of community members finding refuge and support while they live with addictions, grief, family transitions, and personal struggle. Ours is also a story of deep friendships built over decades, new bonds developed through service projects, and worship that inspires us to live out our faith in bold ways that honor God and bless our neighbors.

The story of Community UMC is a story we love to tell, because it is a story of presence, a story of wholeness, a story of connection and commitment, all founded in Jesus’ love for the world. Every day, Community UMC and our campus tell this story of God’s love through worship, programs and classes, service events, support groups, community gatherings, and fellowship opportunities.

The story of CUMC is also a story dependent upon the faithfulness and generosity of its members and friends. Our ongoing offerings and donations are what funds the operation and maintenance of our building and campus, our pastors and staff, our classes, programming, worship, and service projects. Without your donations, we cannot tell the story!   (Some people need concrete numbers – something could be added here to provide that)

Over the next several weeks, you will hear members of CUMC tell stories of our life together and we encourage you to think about how Community UMC is a part of your story, too. Enclosed you will find an Estimate of Giving Card for 2025. We ask you to join us in prayerfully considering what God is calling you to offer up in the coming year and how you can respond to God’s generosity toward us.

We hope you will join us for worship on November 17th as we will celebrate the offering of these gifts in the worship service. If you have not returned your Estimate of Giving Card, there will be cards available for you.

“I love to tell the story; more wonderful it seems than all the golden fancies of all our golden dreams. I love to tell the story, it did so much for me; and that is just the reason I tell it now to thee.”

Together as Community, telling the story,​