June 15, 2022
When I was young I loved math and science. I enjoyed figuring out math and algebra problems and applying my math skills to science, especially physics problems. I enjoyed math and physics enough to pursue an electrical engineering degree in college. By the time I had begun my second year in my engineering program, what I thought was a nudge to reconsider my vocation turned into a call to ministry, and a shift away from numbers, equations, and experiments to much less concrete and calculable subjects. I still love math and enjoy it when I have opportunities to return to it.
This past Sunday was filled with numbers, though nothing that had to do with asymptotes, velocity, variables, or energy. Though truth be told, there was some energy—and enthusiasm—in our building on Sunday, mostly provided by you.
To begin with, last Sunday was Trinity Sunday, the day when three equals one, and one equals three. And this proof is offered without any “imaginary numbers.” The Trinity is not a math problem, but a symbol that points beyond itself to God. The Trinity is the doctrine that defines the Christian faith, as it declares that God is holy, Jesus who was the incarnation of God is holy, and God’s spirit which is the presence of God in the world is holy. But remember it is a statement of faith, not of math. And that saying that the Father and Son and Spirit are all one, holy God, is not the to exhaust all of who, and what, God is.
But there were more numbers on Sunday. A number of you attended our semi-annual business meeting. At that meeting, there were a number of slides depicting numeric values, mostly monetary. We learned how much of our income is derived from congregational giving and from parking revenue. We viewed graphics depicting the ebbs and flows of our giving as a congregation, and saw how giving has been receding over the past few months. These graphs and the numbers they represent, like the Trinity, are symbols that offer a depiction of the rhythms of our practices of financial stewardship. We also saw numbers that were aspirational, projecting our hopes for income and ministry in our church’s future.
It was not so long ago that First Covenant had four pastors on its staff. Today we have two—with hopes of hiring a third. To do this we need numbers from you. This summer we will be providing you with an opportunity to make a pledge of your giving for the coming fiscal year. We need to have a better idea of what our giving will be in the coming year to be able to accurately budget and plan for ministry. As I mentioned at our meeting, we have about 60 giving units in our church. We estimate $31,000 in congregational giving each month on average. This means for each giving unit in our church there is an expectation of $6,200/year or ~$500/month. Many of you give more than this, while others are unable to give as much. We invite you to prayerfully consider what you might be able to commit to for next year and make that your pledge amount. No matter what the amount you are able to give to our church is, knowing what that amount will be will help us determine our resources for ministry in the coming year, especially in this challenging economic season.
Last, we had a number of people recognized for their graduation in our service this past Sunday. One name may be less familiar to you than others, that is Peter Loyd. Peter is our church’s caretaker. For most of us, First Covenant is our church home. For Peter, 400 East Pike is his home address and has been for over 6 years. Peter lives in and cares for our church home. Peter grew up in the San Juan Islands, in a small rural community. He chose to come to Seattle University for college where he received a BA in Visual Art. He returned to Seattle U for his master’s degree and just completed his MS in computer science where he focused on computer vision, connecting technology and art. When not attending to his studies, Peter attends to our two buildings 400 and 420 East Pike. His work is often invisible but would be obvious if it were not done. Peter will be transitioning out of his position later this year. We celebrate all that Peter has done for us over the years and offer our appreciation for his faithful service. Thank you, Peter.
In the end, it all adds up: we have a mysterious, generous God. And it is no secret that you are a generous congregation. Moving forward, however, we need to have a better idea of what congregational giving will be so we can right-size our staff and ministries. And the bottom line is that I write with gratitude for all you have given, and all you have done—however, hidden, however obvious—and am optimistic about the future of our church. Thank you for your ongoing faithful support of First Covenant Church.
Pastor Todd