Be the Spark! Celebrating the Stewards of Central!

Please take a moment to return your 2024 pledge card to the church office! So far we’ve heard from 158 households, who on average are increasing their annual giving by nearly $200 ($182 to be exact).

Pledging never reflects our entire income, but it does help our leaders to plan ministries and to properly budget for the coming year. Please return your pledge card soon. Click Here to fill out an online pledge card. 

Did you know that this year Central Church won a big, statewide award for investing wisely in mission and ministry? It’s true! The Wayne C. Barrett Award is given to churches who invest generously in ministry and mission, spend carefully, and safeguard financial contributions. 

I confess, though it is a big award and competitive, the minute I saw the application I knew Central was a shoe in! My confidence must sound a bit brazen, but truly we tick all the boxes. Not only are we careful and thrifty spenders, we invest in so much ministry that goes well-beyond our church membership. 

Granting the award, the United Methodist Foundation of Michigan wrote:

“We agree that it has been an exceptional year of stewardship at Central UMC, responding both to extraordinary opportunities and to current global and local events in real and tangible ways. Thank you for your exceptional leadership in stewardship!” Read more.

In short – our generosity really does go far when we give to Central Church! 

We already knew Central is a spark of hope and a beacon of light in downtown Traverse City. This award makes that even more apparent. And our work continues. We have been part of a community effort that welcomed and helped settle a second family from Ukraine this fall. Outreach sees more guests than ever in a time of affordable housing crisis. Missions continues to raise funds to support dozens of ministries and organizations locally and internationally.

Please support Central Church today! Click Here to give a one-time donation to help with our year-end shortfall.

Are you over 70? If so, there can be some great tax advantages to giving straight out of some retirement accounts. Read more here.

Pastor Linda