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Future Church

COVID Didn't Break the Church - God is still changing lives!

Future Church Update

January 2021

 

Greetings, Church Family!

 

It has been my honor to serve as the South Reno United Methodist Church pastor for the past four years. I do not think any of us could have imagined four years ago what obstacles we would face in 2020. All of us were challenged in some way, whether it was physically, emotionally, or spiritually.

 

I hope that the holiday season was peaceful and restorative for your family, and that like Pam and I do, you look forward to a bright 2021 filled with God's love and grace.

 

In this first month of the new year, I want to share an update on our Future Church Campaign and the $50,000 in 50 days challenge I presented at the end of last year.

 

Since the onset of the global pandemic and the closing of the South Reno Campus, we have many accomplishments about which to be proud. Since last March, an average of 157 households have tuned in each Sunday morning for online church. Participation in the Foundry and Sunday Morning Synchrony classes has grown. Middle and high school students meet for ZOOM youth group sessions on Friday nights with Pat Crane. Preschool and elementary bible lessons and activities for families have been provided by Alie Boyd each week through our website. Thirteen Stephen Ministers completed their 20- week training this month. And thanks to your end of the year giving, the church ended 2020 with a positive balance.

 

God is good! He is our rock and foundation at all times.

 

While we do not know precisely when it will happen or exactly what it will look like, we anticipate that the campus will reopen in 2021. Now is the time to prepare for that reopening, to prepare and plan for the new, Future Church.

 

  • The Future Church Campaign's goal is to gain the resources and materials necessary to seamlessly weave the analog (in person) and the digital (online) into the ministry of our church (Even when the building reopens for Sunday Service, South Reno will continue to provide online church in the same format as the past ten months).


  • The Future Church is a model whereby parishioners connect and engage with the church both digitally or physically for an hour on Sunday morning and then stay connected for the other 167 hours of the week.

 

Monies donated to the Future Church Campaign are to be used for the following four needs:


  1. To purchase professional-grade video recording equipment (The equipment we currently use will serve as a back-up set in case of technical failure or equipment damage).
  2. To create a recording studio in the office conference room (This will move the 'studio' out of its current space in the middle of the main office and expand usage).
  3. To hire a consultant to train and advise church staff and volunteers on using the new equipment and the appropriate production and creative enhancements for digital services.
  4. To resource reopening the campus and in-person gatherings.

 

We are making progress toward our $50,000 goal. As of January 19, 42 individuals and families have shared gifts totaling $25,015. The current membership of South Reno United Methodist Church is 208; about 100 people attend church regularly but are not members. If you have not already, please make a gift for the Future Church Campaign. Your donation will help you and others live out the mission God is calling us to fulfill.

 

To give, go to https://SouthRenoUMC.info/give. (When giving online, please use the Future Church fund or put Future Church in the memo field. You can also send a check to South Reno UMC, 200 De Spain Ln, Reno, NV, 89511. Please remember to use the check's memo line - write Future Church. 

 

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. - 2 Corinthians 9:7

 

If you have questions about the Future Church Campaign or want to talk with me about ways to support the Future Church Campaign, please reach out by emailing me at [email protected].

 

Thank you for your friendship, prayers, and support, which have allowed us to raise and disciple believers who pray and act boldly with the heart of Christ to reach a lost and hurting world.

 


Grace + Peace,

 

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COVID Didn’t Break the Church - God is still changing lives!

COVID has done a lot of things in 2020. Who knew we would be embarking on a rollercoaster of uncertainty and change? Between this year’s COVID pandemic and the intense cultural and political climate, many have experienced a very painful and exhausting year—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.


Yet this we know. God is our rock and foundation. And God is still changing lives!


At South Reno UMC, we strive to be a life-giving church that shares the world-changing ideas of the kingdom of God. Despite adjusting our programs and walking in uncertainty, alongside the rest of the globe, we have seen the faithfulness of God continue, undisturbed by our temporary trials.


South Reno UMC is now just over three decades old, and we are witnessing seeds planted over the last 30 years, many of them watered by your prayers and generosity, bearing fruit for such a time as this. Thank you for your partnership, and praise God for granting open doors and fruitfulness that have allowed us to pivot during the pandemic and move our worship, fellowship, and discipleship ministry online.


Here is what I know as we prepare for 2021. Crisis forces us to do things we previously thought about doing and put off. It moves us to do things we’d never thought we’d do. What’s making it more complicated is that as much as we wish things would just go back to normal, they won’t. At least not exactly as they were.


Until now, we have been an analog organization in a digital world. The closing of church facilities spurred us to show up online. That won’t go away when things go back to ‘normal.’ There will be a new normal (a future church), and it will be a seamless interweaving of the digital and analog, just like life is these days.


Here’s the problem we face. In the past, We spend somewhere between 90% of our budget on in-person experiences: Sunday gatherings, groups, events, community service. As we prepare to pivot to this future church, much remains uncertain and challenging to identify and budget appropriately.


You can help.


We are looking to raise $ 50,000.00 over the next 50 days to seamlessly interweave the digital and analog into South Reno UMC’s future ministry in 2021. (Think of it as a Christmas gift to Jesus.)


You can be part of preparing South Reno for the future by taking the following steps:


  1. Give: Please consider giving over and above your current support by going online to give or send a check to South Reno UMC, 200 De Spain Ln, Reno, NV, 89511. Use the memo - Future Church. 
  2. Pray: For wisdom and discernment for the South Reno UMC’s leadership team as we make the necessary changes for the future.
  3. Volunteer: Let us know of your availability to be part of the future church God is creating here at South Reno. (We will follow-up with you to assist you in finding the best place to serve.)


Thank you for your friendship, prayers, and support, which have allowed us to raise and disciple believers who pray and act boldly with the heart of Christ to reach a lost and hurting world.


Grace + Peace,