Stewardship 2026
Make your pledge to the Rehoboth Congregational church for the 2026 year!
This Isn’t Working
About a year ago, ten young people gathered with me in the Fellowship Hall on a Sunday evening for the first Confirmation class of our 2024-2025 program year. For the first fifteen, maybe twenty minutes of the class, I had only one thought: “This isn’t working.” The first class in our program is simple. We don’t ask much - spending most of the time just getting to know each other. For most of the two hour session almost no one said ANYTHING - I sensed a good deal of hesitation, nervousness, and uncertainty among the group. At the rate we were going, I wondered how we were going to get through the remaining nine classes.
This REALLY Isn’t Working
Currently, more than half of all churches (54%!) in this country are in decline. 4,000-10,000 churches close their doors forever each year. Countless others teeter on the brink. Those who pay attention to these trends know that church in all sorts of settings isn’t working anymore.
And Yet . . .
Here at RCC, we are doing good things! Young people are learning about their faith and one another. People of all ages are gathering for high-quality experiences: Bible Study, Music and Choir, Fellowship Opportunities, and more. Members and friends are mobilizing to serve their neighbors. Newcomers are expressing an interest in the church, meeting new people, and getting involved. More and more, while church decline is becoming the norm, what we have seems to be working.
From: “This Isn’t Working” to “This is FUN!!!”
After that first confirmation class, I thought about ways to engage the group. I changed some of the activities. At the outset of session two, we were back where we had started. Participants were quiet, hesitant to contribute, and seemed unsure as to how to proceed. However, when we moved on to an exercise entitled “Rewrite the UCC Statement of Faith as a Hip Hop Song” things began to change. There was conversation, there was laughter, there was NOISE! At the close of the lesson, when each group delivered their “Statement of Faith Rap” there was confidence, there was continued discussion, there was more laughter, there was applause, and I was relieved. It was starting to work.
And Yet . . . (Part Two)
RCC is a great church, but there is important work still to be done. We find ourselves in a middle ground - the efforts we make today will determine whether our congregation moves toward vitality or inches closer toward the decline that most churches are experiencing in today’s world. With an eye to the future, we are at work: resurrecting healthy youth ministry programming, assessing the conditions and needs of our property and facilities, and considering creative staffing solutions. In addition, we are refining our fundraising, organization & communication strategies, and team building. All of these things require money and your support. There is no way around it. Our funding comes from two simple sources: the generosity of our members, and the legacy of endowment gifts.
It’s (only) Working because WE are working TOGETHER!
If you were present on Pentecost Sunday last June you saw the many ways in which our congregation is working. We heard inspiring and unique statements of faith from each of our confirmation students. The group who could barely muster a response in the early weeks of our program spoke articulately from the heart and with conviction. We listened to music presented by our youth. We sang along. We applauded. We launched confetti into the air. The fruits of an abundance of faith and labor were celebrated within the walls of this special church. It was a good glimpse of our potential.
You are blessed with a tremendous staff. Allison Ware, Andrew Kingsland, Melissa Grossi, Sam Choate, and Tammy Kingsland work tirelessly (often far beyond the limits of their hourly commitments) to make sure our church is working for you. We are fortunate to have them. You are blessed with a fantastic Executive Board, Board of Deacons and Finance Team. Missy Enos, Olivia LeGrow, and Helen Davis lead thoughtful conversations and keep these important teams on track with the best interests of our congregation always at the forefront of what we do.
Our congregation works because of YOU!
You, and I, are blessed to have one another. We have a vibrant community of faith at RCC. We have people to sing, prepare worship services, greet, make food, brew coffee, arrange beautiful flowers, check on the building, care for the facilities, teach children, check on one another, and worship together. We have people who will embrace you when you’re going through a tough time and cheer with you when things are going great. We have people who will send notes and make phone calls. Without you, none of this would work. Because of you, it does!
We need to keep working together.
As we prepare to build on the good work of today, we need your help. Our Executive Board has set a goal of raising $175,000-$200,000 in pledges for the coming year by October 19, 2025. *I think we can easily surpass that $175k goal - check out the ytd giving on the next page - we are VERY close this year and I believe we can meet this goal in 2026!
Please take a moment to do a few things:
1. Pray about RCC and thoughtfully consider what our church means to you.
2. Take a look at your current level of financial support and consider an incremental increase for 2026. (see following page)
3. Complete a pledge card and return it to the church by: Sunday October 19, 2025
Your commitment to RCC through this stewardship appeal is invaluable. We are grateful for your support, and we are looking forward to all of the good work we will do together for God and this world!
As always, if you have any questions about giving, please feel free to contact me. I would be happy to sit down with you to share more and explore the many ways we all might work together for Rehoboth Congregational Church and the world that God loves!
God is Good...All the Time!
Peace, Pastor Andrew
Helpful Stewardship Information
Through September 21, 2025 we have received around $158,000 in contributions from about 186 households. We are grateful for your generosity!
While we are still experiencing a budget deficit, the good news is that it is not nearly as substantial as we anticipated. In additions, we do not feel it is an insurmountable shortfall.
With moderate growth in giving for the coming year, we have the opportunity to make a positive impact on the financial health of our congregation.
If each household were able to maintain their current level if giving while increasing by one of the challenge amounts highlighted below, together we would make significant progress toward narrowing or eliminating a budget shortfall in 2026.
The RCC Stewardship Team is inviting you to consider an increase in giving of one of the amounts highlighted above, or any amount of your choosing. We realize that this is not possible for every household and are grateful for your generosity in all the ways you contribute to RCC!
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact a member of the team or Pastor Andrew.