Greater Spring Magazine

UNIVERSITY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

FROMFINANCE

Behind thenumbers.

NEWMEMBERS

Pastors Lunch, U|Connect, Pathway to

Membership.

HELPINGHANDS

Everyonematters.

BEYONDBased on

Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace

University.

GREATER SPRING MAGAZINE

“I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the fi rst day until now.”

(Philippians 1:3-5)

Paul’s opening words in his letter to the Philippians are some of my favorite in all of the Bible. Perhaps that is why they come to mind when I look back on this year’s Greater Initiative. It is

no small thing to call God’s people to a higher calling. It is no small challenge for a person to set aside one’s own personal agenda as in pursuit of God’s “greater” vision.

Therefore, “I thank God every time” you believed that God still has greater plans for this

congregation. “I thank God every time” you saw that greater mercy is worth your best gifts. “I thank God every time” you confessed that Jesus never made a miracle out of someone

saying “No,” but that only the “Yes”es bless us. “I thank God every time” you made amaz-ing things happen through your fi nancial support.

This edition of GREATER is an exercise in celebrating what has been accomplished and com-

municating how we go forward from here. I commend your detailed reading of it. I also encourage you to complete your written “Greater” estimate of fi nancial commitment if you ha-ven’t already done so. There is still time to say of you, “I thank my God every time I remem-ber you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for you, because of your

sharing in the gospel from the fi rst day until now.”

Rev. Charles AndersonUniversity United Methodist Church


University UMC is in the midst of transi-tioning from a traditional annual steward-ship campaign and periodic capital cam-paign to a One Fund campaign known as GREATER, which occurs every two years. The GREATER One Fund provides lay leadership the flexibility to use these un-designated funds in various ways that best support the needs of University UMC, such as operating budget, infrastructure, or debt retirement. The GREATER Campaign response is en-couraging with approximately $13 million in commitments and expected gifts for 2013/2014; however, we still have many who have not submitted a 2-year giving plan. You can still submit a commitment card online (www.greater.tv) or complete a card and mail it to:

Debbie Vignes 5084 DeZavala Road San Antonio, TX 78249

If you have any questions, please call Debbie at 696-1033 or email: [email protected]

Notable highlights to date:

45382143

FIRST-TIME GIVERS WITHCOMMITMENTS OF NEARLY $220,000

COMMITTED MORE THANTWICE THEIR 2012 ANNUAL GIVING

OF 382 GIVING THREE TIMES ORMORE THAN THEIR 2012 ANNUAL GIVING

GIVING

From Pre-K to graduation, children with spe-cial needs are provided with the education, therapy services, and vocational training they require through their schools. However, once these students leave high school, the resourc-es they have depended upon nearly their whole lives instantly disappear when they cross the stage. These precious souls are all around us, beg-ging for a purpose in life but not knowing where to turn. Ephesians 2:10 says “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the things He planned for us long ago” (NLT). This tran-sitional period presents a perfect opportuni-ty for the church to reach out and provide a place where adults with special needs can be God’s Masterpiece and can do all that God has planned for them. At University United Methodist Church we are doing just that! The Helping Hands Day Habilitation Program began ten years ago with a handful of adults who needed to something to do during the day. Recently the program has grown and ex-panded – reaching 35 adults and providing

them with a Christ-centered, meaningful work environment for six hours a day, fi ve days a week. Helping Hands is well-known in the community for our wonderful staff and the way our team members are treated with dig-nity.

Changed lives is what we are all about. We have the honor of watching God transforms lives before our very eyes ... not only the lives of our team members, but their families as well. Some of our families have begun attend-ing church and have experienced the love of Jesus on a personal level. There is nothing that brings more joy than discovering the gifts and talents inside every individual. With your prayers and support, we hope to continue our successes and even expand them in the fu-ture.


Each week our Helping Hands ministry refi lls and straight-ens everything in the sanctuary pew racks, and they fold and stuff all of the Children’s Bulletins and note books. The Helping Hands ministry blesses us in worship each and every week and I thank God for them.

Karen AndrewsAssistant Worship Director

TESTIMONIAL

This program has provided a purpose for Katie’s everyday life as well as a wonderful circle of friends. I am grateful for the high integrity of the program.

Nancy AndresKatie’s mom

TESTIMONIAL

In addition to your financial commitment to GREATER, God continues to do GREAT-ER things with our membership. One of the most exciting things is bringing new individ-uals into our community of faith. Although it can be hard to tell in our large church, many new children, youth, and adults enter into our midst every month through baptism, profes-sion of faith, reaffirmation of faith, and trans-fer of membership—continued evidence of God’s powerful work through this church. At University, we help people look to Jesus and look like Jesus. We believe that when people join the church, they seek something deeper than “membership.”

We believe that they truly want to journey toward being or becoming disciples of Jesus Christ. Because we believe people want more than “membership,” we take seriously the process of joining the church.

Each and every person who becomes a mem-ber of University embarks on a two-step pro-cess. They take their vows of membership before the congregation, either in one of our worship services or at one of our Pastor’s Lunches. They also attend a one-night, three-hour session called u|connect. Here, those seeking membership join current members, pastors, and staff for dinner and an intro-duction to the Pathway to Discipleship. We show how they can connect to further spiri-tual development through Pathway classes, u|groups, and service opportunities. We encourage you to meet these new peo-ple by joining us for a session of u|connect. You will learn some new names and faces and learn about our work to walk with them on their journey. Contact Jessica Caccamese or Elizabeth Mooy-Fink for more information.


In our last u|connect session 37 people be-came full members of University. So far this year, 72 people have joined University.

U|CONNECT

The number-one cause for divorce in North America is money fights and money problems. These statistics even apply within our own family of faith. Often we don’t see the strug-gles of our own brothers and sisters in Christ until it is too late. University’s commitment to Godly families provides an amazing opportunity to help strengthen those families and reduce the stress that can rip them apart. We believe overcoming debt and creating financial free-dom is a discipleship issue. God loves His chil-dren and wants them to be free from bond-age, including bondage to debt.

This fall, the staff, leadership, and teachers of University will join together to help our whole church family focus, pray, and learn what it means to have financial freedom. Using Dave Ramsey’s time-tested programs of

Financial Peace University, Generation Change, and Financial Peace Jr., we will jour-ney BEYOND living paycheck to paycheck, BEYOND bondage to debt, and BEYOND managing God’s resources our way, to manag-ing them His way. We ask you to pray now for your family and the other families at University so we all may approach this journey boldly and with unity as one Body in Christ. We want everyone to live a life that is BEYOND all we alone could ever ask or imagine.

Join us for... BEYOND...


*According to the Wall Street Journal.

This Changes

EVERYTHING!Your money. Your story. Your life.

Learn God’s way of handling money with Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University! The average turnaround is $8,000 in the first three months.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his pow-er that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all genera-tions, for ever and ever! Amen. -Ephesians 3:20-21

Greater Spring Magazine

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