October 23rd, 2023

Dear NDUMC Family,


Since 1948, North Decatur United Methodist Church has served the needs of a rapidly changing community. We have gathered and distributed food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, and clothing to the naked. We have responded to countless medical and mental health emergencies. We have provided a safe space for children to learn and grow. We have stood to advocate against injustice and consistently provided a safe space for our community to grow in our knowledge and love of God and our commitment to one another. 

Each generation has reaffirmed this work by devoting themselves to this vision of a boldly inclusive community, deeply connected and consistently sent out for acts of service, invitation, and justice-making. And in each season of our church’s ministry, people—young, old, rich, poor, gay, straight, black, white, cis, trans, and everyone between—have done that. Through prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness, the diverse community of faith that calls North Decatur UMC home has taken intentional steps towards realizing the Kingdom of God. 

We are in a moment of great potential. In a season of uncertainty and even fear about the trajectory of our local, regional, and even global communities, the church – our church – is a beacon of how we can lean into God's redemptive and gracious love to create fellowship and positively impact the world around us. We were built for moments like these, and our work is all the more important with a greater Decatur community looking for change, but too often unsure of how to proceed.  So, as we look to 2024 and the next season of ministry at North Decatur United Methodist Church, I want to ask you to commit to this next season. 

Scripture introduces us to the idea of a tithe—10 percent of all we have gets intentionally given to God. A tithe reminds us that everything we have is a gift from God, and as such, it is never fully mine. It is God’s, and it will be God’s. So we share it together in common. For now, I would encourage you to consider what percentage is possible for you. With your time and resources, what percentage are you willing and able to give to the work God has laid out for us all? I will say more about this in the coming weeks, but tithing started as a difficult habit for me and my spouse. But we worked at it, adjusted our expectations, and learned to live with less. That has led me to find more joy in simplicity and intentionality. 

On Sunday, November 12, we will celebrate Consecration Sunday at North Decatur. Consecration Sunday is the day we will collect our estimates of giving, celebrate all that God is doing through the church, and the day that we look with hope to the work that God will continue to do in the next year. It will be a day of celebration and anticipation. Please make plans to be with us in worship that day for a luncheon immediately following worship, where we will celebrate all that lies ahead for NDUMC! 

Thanks for all you do to uphold God’s church at North Decatur UMC. I’m so grateful to serve our God and our community with you. 

Peace,

Rev. Patrick Faulhaber