Greetings Glen Mar,

Many of you have been turning in your rise-TOGETHER AS ONE pledge cards this week, and I wanted to take a moment to share an update and say thank you.

As of this writing, we have received 110 pledges. That is encouraging because every pledge is a sign that someone is choosing to invest in what God is doing through Glen Mar now and, prayerfully, in the future.

One of the things that makes pledging so important is that it helps us plan faithfully. rise-TOGETHER AS ONE is a two-year commitment, and those pledges help us build a ministry budget that is rooted in real commitments rather than guesses. Your pledge now helps us steward well what God has entrusted to us for the future.

While we are starting strong on pledges, I am also excited to see our rise tree fill up with leaves! Those leaves are reminders that this campaign has never just been about finances. It is about hopes, prayers, and dreams for the future of Glen Mar.

As I’ve read through them, I have been struck by the common themes. Many of you are praying for young people, that God would ignite a passion for Christ in the youth of Glen Mar and that more children, students, and young adults would discover the life-giving love of Jesus. Others are praying for expanded mission opportunities, deeper community engagement, and stronger connections with our neighbors.

Several of the prayers have also expressed a desire for Glen Mar to become an even more welcoming and inclusive church, a place where people from all walks of life know they are loved, valued, and invited into a relationship with Christ.

One leaf stood out to me. A child wrote, “I pray that God will lead me to be a better Christian.”

In many ways, I think that prayer captures the heart of what we’re hoping for as a church. Yes, we want to grow and expand our impact in the community. But underneath all of that is a much deeper hope that God would continue shaping us into people who love Jesus more deeply and love our neighbors more fully.

Thank you for your prayers, your generosity, and your commitment to the mission of Glen Mar. If you have not yet turned in your pledge card, there is still time. Keep praying, dreaming, and hoping for where God is leading us next, and consider leaving a leaf for the rise tree as well.

God is doing something special at Glen Mar, and I am grateful that we get to be part of it together.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Chris

For more rise-TOGETHER AS ONE stories from fellow Glen Martians, click here.