2025 Year-In-Review
Click to enlarge the two images below and see how the people of BUMC helped make ministry happen in 2025!
2026 Estimate of Giving Card
Proportional Giving
For generations, many Christians have had a goal to tithe, or give ten percent of their income to the church. This is a biblical concept mentioned several times in the Old Testament. Many folks who tithe talk about how growing into this practice impacted not only their finances, but their spiritual lives in big ways. If you want to work towards a tithe, this chart can be a helpful tool! Maybe you aren’t ready to give 10 percent yet, but want to start a practice of growing your giving by a percentage point or two each year.
Jesus never speaks about tithing, which some folks use as a reason to not even consider the practice. However, I think it’s pretty clear that Jesus doesn’t speak about tithing because when he talks about money it’s far more radical. One well known story occurs in Matthew 19, when Jesus tells the rich young ruler to sell all he has and give the proceeds to the poor. Jesus asked a lot of his disciples; many of them left stable careers to follow him and do ministry, and early Christians were well known for their sacrificial lifestyles. I’m not saying we should all quit our jobs and liquidate our assets, but I am saying that following Jesus means having different priorities about everything, including our financial goals and life.
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was convicted by Jesus’s financial teachings so deeply that by the end of his life he practiced a “reverse tithe,” in which he lived on 10% of what he made and gave the other 90% away. I encourage you to sit down with your family and have a real discussion about your family finances, and what generous living looks like for your household.
What does my giving support?
Check out the 2025 Impact Report to get a sense of what our church spends money on, and how that money makes a huge impact here at the corner of Bellaire and Newcastle and all over the world. As anyone who has ever served on a church committee can attest, it is not cheap to maintain large facilities, offer excellent worship services, and provide ministries that make an impact on people of all ages. But we believe that this is good and holy work, and that your support really matters. This year’s stewardship represents a change in the order of how we do things. In previous years, we would collect pledges and use them to come up with an expense budget. This year, our committees, staff, and ministry teams worked hard on putting together proposals for what they need to continue our impactful ministries, and even for them to grow a little, and we’re putting that information in front of you to include in the consideration of your tithes and pledges.
Last year, we spent $1.39 million on operating costs. This year, our preliminary budget is for $1.47 million. This increase covers higher costs for utilities, and things like having more food and supplies on Sunday nights for student ministries, because we have twice as many students regularly showing up as we did just a year ago. If you are in a position to increase your support, know that what you are giving makes a difference.
Why Pledge?
Some folks believe that what they give is between them and God, and so filling out a pledge card is a bad idea. While giving is definitely a spiritual practice, and the amount you give is between you and God, having a good estimate of giving allows us to plan and invest in ministry with confidence. We have faith that God will provide, but that doesn’t preclude us from doing our best to plan and step out in faith by submitting pledges. Pledges aren’t set in stone; if your circumstances change or life happens, nobody is going to come to your door hunting you down. They help us plan well and do the best ministry we can with the resources that we have. Your commitment and gifts will make a difference in the lives of so many!