Our Semi-Annual Newsletter
The Light of Christ
In the name of communication, transparency, and gratitude, I have decided to launch a semi-annual newsletter called The Light of Christ. It will function like a “State of the Church” update and will include reports from the chairs of our three fiduciary committees. As you read these reports and look at the pictures, give thanks and pray that the Spirit reveals how you are called to serve here next.
Pastor’s Report
As I wrap up my first year as the Pastor of PVUMC, I just wanted to extend my humblest gratitude. When I arrived, the situation here was uncertain; attendance was down, morale was low and we were down to our last few dollars in the bank. However, it was through this community’s efforts to lean in, roll up our sleeves, and try something new, that we not only survived this last year but we have thrived. Our Fuel program has been one of our crowning achievements, not only finding funding and partnerships to help us accomplish our calling, but also growing the footprint of the ministry. We now serve over 80 children in Cheatham County. It has been a galvanizing ministry and I can’t thank the efforts of Beth, Kenny, Dana, and their team, enough.
I am also very proud of our work in small groups. Our Journey to Freedom groups have been an invaluable place of healing and growth for our community. These groups have provided a place for us to have difficult and transformative discussions, pursue holiness, and hear the voice of God in our hearts. In my second year, we will continue to offer Journey to Freedom groups and if you have not experienced the power of small group, I highly encourage you to join us. Our next offering will be Journey to New Beginnings. Every change, every season of growth, every loss, requires us to leave behind an old way and accept the new reality. If I’ve learned anything about the spiritual journey, it is about learning to grieve well. Christ promised to comfort anyone who is mourning (Matthew 5:4). All of this to say, this group is an opportunity for anyone to have a significant experience of God’s love. More info to come!
Also, in the vein of small groups, our Bible Studies and Sunday School classes have been a rich place of fellowship and education. I, myself, have grown tremendously, wrestling in the scriptures with you all this year. I want to thank Amanda, Beth, and Lois for their leadership in these gatherings. Looking ahead, the soon-to-be Pastor Anne and I will be offering an all-ages class on Methodism in the fall. I believe in learning about our heritage, it will reveal to us where God is calling us to next.
In other places I continue to see signs of growth all around us. Amanda, Jessica, and Karen have all done a tremendous job shepherding our children. Last year, in the fog of all the conflict, most of our children’s programming stopped gathering. Restarting and starting new ministries is an arduous task. Our monthly Kids Club and this last week’s VBS have been amazing achievements of our Children’s Ministry team. Thank you! Our Monday morning Men’s group has nearly doubled in size since last year and we’ve added a morning devotional and prayer time to our fellowship. The Prayer Shawl ministry is continuing to bless our congregation with beautiful artistic expressions of prayer and compassion. Yesterday, we began plans for a Craft Fair in October. Exciting stuff indeed!
The Spirit is clearly alive in this place. We have seen new faces walk through the door and more and more people jumping in and getting involved. As we celebrate all that God is doing, I want to pastorally remind you all, that though many of us have moved on from the ugliness of last year, the grief process is strange and non-linear. I think a major part of our success this last year is that we have led with grace and empathy. Next year will be no different, grace will be our north star and together we will continue discover new ways to love and serve the Lord by loving and serving one another!
-Rev. Steve Lefebvre, Pastor
Finance Report
What a pleasure it is to share this financial update. When we join the United Methodist Church, we state we will support it with our prayers, service and gifts. Here at Pleasant View UMC, we have taken this to heart. Our congregation has remained faithful, and it has been fruitful. The fundraisers were a tremendous success with $10,500 raised between the two. A huge thank you to Dawn Brading, Trina Chance and Olivia Foster for their willingness to head up these two fundraisers. Also, thank you to the many people who volunteered or made donations. It wouldn’t have been this successful without the whole church working together towards a common goal.
It has been quite a year. We have two months operating cash reserve, which is the most we have had in quite some time. Our apportionments are paid through June. There have been some changes to the budget due to an increase in income (fundraisers and additional rental income) and a decrease in expenses (pension and reimbursements). As a result, the offering goal for the balance of the year is $2400 per week.
The Fuel Program was embraced by the whole congregation and as a result was very successful. Almost 3000 bags of food were delivered during the school year and money is available for the next school year.
The Trustees are planning some updates to the fellowship hall and possibly the kitchen (see below). The church has money that can only be used on improvements or major repairs to the church properties and this money will be used for any updates. I’m excited to see what the future holds for our church. Hopefully, you are too because God is going to use us all.
-Beth Bostwick, Chair of Finance
Trustee Report
As we move into the summer of 2024, PVUMC would like to update our congregation on some of the trustee board’s activities. The trustee board is shouldered with the responsibility of the upkeep of all four of the church’s properties, yet their funding is separate from the general fund. The trustees finalized the TDOT highway expansion land purchase in front of the rental house on Hwy. 49 which will help provide startup funding for upgrades on our Fellowship Hall. Some of the recent projects include a sump pump replacement and new garage door opener system for the parsonage. A new basement sump pump and some minor repairs were done for the rental house. The trustees helped coordinate a major cleanup and painting project at the pavilion. Some electrical upgrades have also been done there by licensed electricians affiliated with the local Boy Scouts. The church building has had its share of minor repairs along with a landscaping workday in front of the church.
One of the projects that we are particularly excited about it, is renovating the Fellowship Hall. Over the course of the summer, we will be replacing the light fixtures, painting, and laying new flooring. There is also some discussion underway to replace the windows and update the kitchen, this will depend on funding available. This project has initially been funded by the UMW, who disbanded last year and liquidating their account. They gave Trustees over $4000 to begin work on the project. Furthermore, we are investigating selling off unused portions of the Pavilion property to then reinvest into updating our aging building. The Trustees is committed to preserving all of the property that can be seen from the Pavilion structure and is only interested in selling off the land behind the tree line.
Finally, Trustees have agreed to partner with St. Pauly Textiles to add a donation shed to our church property. This partnership will generate some passive income for the church as well as bring more traffic into our parking lot, in hopes of increasing our visibility in the community. So far this partnership has been very successful. The Trustees appreciates the commitment and dedication of all our church members and to all the people that join in and make these projects happen.
-Tony Easley, Chair of Trustees
Staff-Parish Relations Committee Report
I’m happy to report from staffing perspective things are going well! Pastor Steve will be returning for a second year and we’re thankful for the consistency and stability that will offer. Our biggest news is that Anne Culver will be commissioned a deacon at Annual Conference this year. Anne will continue her work as a chaplain at St. Thomas hospital but also, we look forward to the ways that her role in pastoral ministry will grow here with us! We hope you will join us at the pavilion on Sunday, June 30th to celebrate Pastor Anne’s commissioning as a provisional deacon with a potluck. We can’t wait to celebrate Pastor Ann’s accomplishments. SPRC will be providing cupcakes.
For those wondering, our 3rd quarter meeting will be in late July or early August due to summer vacations.
-Jessica Harrison, Chair of SPRC
