First United Methodist Church of Pittsburgh Capital Campaign

On Sunday, March 25, 2007, the Find Us Faithful Capital Campaign moved into the commitment phase with a wonderful worship service built around the theme of sacrificial giving.  The Schriver family provided a powerful testimonial about what First United Methodist Church of Pittsburgh has meant to them and why they have chosen to give sacrificially.   At the children's time, Patty Steffey talked about what she found beautiful about our church and why people, the missions of the church, and the church building are so closely tied together.  She also told the children about the members of the church who had chosen to make advanced commitments to the Find Us Faithful campaign because they love First Church so much, and she announced that this group of some 51 families had recently pledged more than $546,000 to the renovation of First Church.  Gail Ransom then helped the children to comprehend this sum of money through the use of a graphic representation--an image of First Church covered with a silhouette of black puzzle pieces.  Children then removed a number of pieces of the puzzle that were covering the image until a little more than 40 percent of the image of the church was "revealed."  Gail and the children then discussed what missions and activities went on in the parts of the church that had been revealed.  Pastor Bob Wilson delivered the final of four sermons on sacrificial giving and discussed his and Glenna Wilson's commitments to Find Us Faithful.  Finally, Pastor Bob invited all members, guests, visitors, and attendees to remember their baptism and to come forward to the baptismal font, to touch the water, and then to deposit their Find Us Faithful commitment cards, weekly donation envelopes, Find Us Faithful time and talent cards, and other expressions of support for the ministries of First Church in the collection plates at the altar.

Following the Commitment Service, almost 160 members and guests, teenagers, and children gathered in Fellowship Hall for a grand dinner to mark this Commitment Sunday.  Ralph Jackson, Acting Director of our First Food & Friends Satuday meal, welcomed everyone to the dinner and provided another powerful witness to the importance of this ministry to the East End community and the role it plays in the life of First Church volunteers and volunteers from many other churches in the Pittsburgh region.  Following a blessing led by Find Us Faithful Prayer Co-Director Phil Gibbons and a representative from each of the dining tables, our teenager waitstaff served a delicious dinner of baked ham and cherries, fresh yams and green beans, and Betty's famous rolls.  Dessert consisted of a rich strawberry and whipped cream-topped yellow sheet cake.  Tim Coles, First Church's Minister of Music, provided a short cabaret-style program that included some of his favorite songs, as well as one song parodying some of the more "memorable" aspect of Fellowship Hall that will be rectified with its renovation. The program closed with a rousing hymn sung by all, "Standing on the Promises." 

After tallying all Find Us Faithful commitment cards received as of the end of the Commitment Service and Dinner, 3/25/07, Michele Jury, Chairperson of the Finance Committee, announced total pledges of $680,112, including more than $385,000 pledged by the eighteen members/giving units of the Find Us Faithful Steering Committee, pledges of roughly $161,000 by thirty-three additional "advanced commitment" giving units, and pledges of about $134,000 offered by an additional twenty-eight giving units who submitted Find Us Faithful commitment cards on Sunday, March 25th.  As of Sunday, April 1st, total pledges by 89 families/giving units now exceed $690,000, more that 57% of the goal. This is a wonderful beginning!

Find Us Faithful commitment cards will continued to be actively received through Celebration Sunday, April 15, 2007.  If you would like to make a commitment, you can download a Find Us Faithful Commitment Card if you follow the link under "The Basics" at the left.