Letter from Rev. Andrew Burns

Beloved Child of God, 

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with the Holy Spirit in our life together. I give thanks for your generosity to Ada First United Methodist Church. Without your support, our ministry could not have happened. I am writing to you in advance of our annual stewardship campaign, where we invite everyone to consider how each of us might contribute to our church’s life together. 

Thanks to you and your generous financial support, we have welcomed 12 youth into full membership through Confirmation this past spring. Your offerings helped us to love and serve more than 30 children and youth in Sunday School, children’s programs, tween class, and family events. You allowed us to offer pastoral care and discipleship ministry to dozens of adults. You enabled us to keep our commitment of donating $10,000 per year to Beatitudes Community Center. And there is so much more. 

Sunday, October 18, is the day we will ask members of our church family to return their 2027 Commitment Cards as we make plans for our ministry for the coming year. This is an opportunity for you to discern how you can contribute to our life together. I want to remind you why we ask our members to turn in Commitment Cards each year. 

On a very practical level, we ask you to submit a Commitment Card to help our leadership in setting a ministry budget for the coming year, making the most of every gift. On a personal level, completing and returning your Commitment Card invites you to spend time in prayer and reflection, discerning how God is calling you to contribute to our life together, financially and otherwise. 

I invite you to pray on that. If you have never regularly donated to the church, maybe God is calling you to make a commitment to give some amount of money regularly, even if that amount seems small. Every gift matters, no matter the size. 

If you already give regularly, I want to thank you for your generosity. If you have never made a written commitment, maybe God is calling you to write down your commitment and return it to the church. If a written commitment or pledge is already a regular habit for you, I invite you to pray and discern what God is calling you to this year – maybe God is calling you to give the same amount this year as last year; maybe God is calling you to increase your commitment. 

Wherever you are and whoever you are, we give thanks for your financial support of our church. Your giving this year has made a difference in the lives of children, youth, and adults in our church, as well as in the lives of people in Ada and beyond.

In Christ,

Rev. Andrew Burns

A Printable Commitment Card is available HERE

You can also pick up a printed commitment card in the church office or at the back of the sanctuary on October 11 or 18. On Sunday, October 18, there will be a time in the worship to return your 2027 Commitment Card to support the planning for our ministry in the coming year. 

If you worship with us online, you can email your Stewardship Commitment Card information to our financial secretary, Lauren Smith, at laurensmith@adaumc.org  and then send your Service and Witness Commitment Card information to the church office at info@adaumc.org. (Feel free to either type notes in an email that provides the information needed, or, feel free to take a picture of your filled out commitment card and send that image.)