2026 Stewardship: Mission & Evangelism and Care & Service

As we enter our fourth week of the 2026 stewardship campaign, Mission: Possible, we are continuing to see pledges rolling in, but we need to keep the momentum going.

This week, we will be looking at two areas of our budget: Mission & Evangelism and Care & Service. Each of these areas represents 14% of our annual budget, and they are integral parts of who we are at SUM. While these two areas may seem to be very different from one another, they are in many ways two halves of the same shell.

Care and Service is us bringing Christ’s love to one another within SUM, while Mission and Evangelism is us taking Christ’s love out into the greater world. The two areas grow and feed off of each other. It is our ability to support our fellow SUM members that then gives them the strength to carry that light into the greater world. The simple act of care by asking “how was the VIM trip,” or the silent prayer for safe travels, helps to empower those missions. Similarly, the stories brought back from a VIM trip empower the congregation by helping to see Christ’s work in the world.

Service is another important part of being a Methodist. It is indeed part of the five promises we make when we join the church —our baptismal covenant —and at communion. I work in higher education at the University of Hartford, and service to the institution is a pillar of how the University functions. The church is very similar, with critical committees, such as the SPR or Finance, that need members to provide input on how they function. Also, like a university at the start of the semester, helping direct new students to the right building, there are many small pieces of service — such as helping put away the chairs or greeting at the entrance — that strengthen the church. The big pieces of service and the small acts of service are all important; they need each other for the church to complete the mission of bringing Christ’s love to all of the ministries of SUM.

As we continue this period of stewardship, we ask that you prayerfully consider pledging to support our many life-changing and world-impacting ministries at SUM. Pledges can be made online here (www.sumct.org), using the pledge cards that were mailed out, or by picking up an extra pledge card at the church.

Greg Freidline, Stewardship Chair