Stewardship Season was a success! This has nothing to do with our current pledge count. The first step in good stewardship is taking a step back to consider all the good gifts God has given us. Church, we are so blessed! God is certainly at work at SecondFirst Church.

Check out this list we ran in the stewardship mailing of just a few of the things we have done in the last year:

  • Vibrations Against Violence was our handbell concert for peace featuring our amazing choirs plus Dorothy Paige Turner and Rev. Ken Board of Pilgrim Baptist Church.
  • Our middle and high school aged students went to snow camp with students from Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church
  • We studied Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me for Black History Month.
  • The Membership Ministry Team hung new way-finding signs to orient visitors.
  • Our all-church multi-generational Wednesday worship in Lent focused on Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenburg. We also offered mindfulness meditation midday Thursdays led by Sandy Williams.
  • We worked with Jeremiah Development to host Love Rockford Day, where over 400 families received clothes, food and many other services.
  • Our youth traveled to Broad Street Ministry in Philadelphia where they served that city’s most vulnerable citizens and contemplated how to serve ours.
  • Ms. Becky (Erbe) is now Pastor Becky! She was formally recognized by the Prairie Association as the pastor she has been for years.
  • We have two new mission partners: KFACT has been snatching girls out of poverty and sending them to college for the last 6 years with a 100% graduation rate from high school.
  • Just Breathe 815 is a new organization using our gym to reach homeless teens.

This doesn’t include our 14 new members, our pop-up dinners in the parking lot, our partnership with Haskell school, opening our gym to midday walkers, or the day-to-day, week-to-week service and care so many of you give to this church and to one another. Congratulations! We have much to celebrate as a church. God is alive and well, encouraging and shaping us at SecondFirst Church.

We have much to be Thankful for in this holiday season.

Peace to you,
Rebecca