ASBURY FIRST MONDAY READER | NOVEMBER 3, 2025

CONTENTS: FINANCE COMMITTEE BUDGET UPDATE |

GRACE UPON GRACE: THE HEART OF UNITED METHODIST THEOLOGY

Important Budget Updates

Please read this entire update. If you have questions or need additional information, please contact the Finance Committee by emailing finance@asburyfirst.org. Your questions and feedback are important.

Help Us End 2025 Strong

Ensuring a positive outcome to our current year budgets depends on your pledge fulfillment.

As yet unpaid pledges (as of 10/30): $208,461 for General Pledges, $22,908 for Second Mile Giving and $66,878 for COC Pledges.

If you possibly can, please fulfil all of your 2025 pledges. If you have a question about your outstanding pledge balance or need assistance with a funds transfer, please call the Church Office at (585) 271-1050.

Help Fund Our 2026 Budgets

The 2026 proposed budgets sustain and nurture the ministries of Asbury First—all of the programs that support our mission to Love God, Live Fully, Serve All and Repeat. Your pledges make these budgets possible.

You are the community of Asbury First, and we need everyone to contribute. As of 10/30, fewer than 150 households have pledged, yet we have 1,400 households in our membership. You do not need to be a member to pledge. Every pledge matters. 

Final 2026 budgets will be determined by pledges received by December 15.

That’s it—no second pledge campaign in 2026.

It is easy to pledge online (click here). If you need a pledge card or any other assistance with pledging, please call the Church Office at (585) 271-1050.

Stay Informed

In a recent Monday Weekly Reader article, we shared our commitment to carefully steward the congregation’s resources, and to keep total operating expense increases in the 3 - 4% range. We also detailed the challenges we face with escalating facilities & custodial expenses- utilities, janitorial and maintenance supplies, maintenance contracts, maintenance and repairs etc. 

Here's the good news: Through the hard work of many dedicated individuals- staff and volunteers- we have successfully tackled reining in 2026 facilities & custodial expenses, reduced expenses in some categories, and kept other increases to a minimum. 

The 2026 proposed budgets reflect these wins:

• All-Campus Facilities & Custodial expenses will increase only 1%
• General Budget Total Expenses will increase less than 1%
• COC Budget Total Expenses will increase less than 2% 

More information can be found in these documents: Finance Committee Report on Gas & Electric Expenses and the Finance Committee October Meeting Minutes.

A few numbers are still to be finalized, and, again, these proposed budgets depend on meeting our pledge goals by December 15.

Budget Timeline

Nov 10 – Governing Board will preview proposed budgets

Dec 15 – Final budgets will be prepared based on pledges received by December 15

Dec 18 – Finance Committee budget revisions (if needed) based on pledges received by December 15

Jan 12 – Budgets presented to the Governing Board for a vote

Jan 19 – Budget materials and FAQs to congregation via eblast

Jan 25 – Town Hall Meeting- General & COC Budgets presented to congregation for a vote

There is much to celebrate, and much work ahead.


With gratitude for your support, and confidence in our shared future,

Dawn Riedy, Chair, on behalf of the Finance Committee

Why We’re United Methodist: A Monday Reader Primer

Ever wonder what makes The United Methodist Church who we are? This six-part Monday Reader series offers a simple look at our roots, beliefs, and structure—from John Wesley’s first “methodical” movement to the way grace still shapes our life together today. Whether you’ve been United Methodist for decades or are just curious about what we stand for, these short reflections invite you to rediscover the heart of a church built on connection, grace, and doing good.

Part 2: Grace Upon Grace: The Heart of United Methodist Theology

If there’s one word that sums up United Methodist faith, it’s grace.

Not rules.

Not guilt.

Not perfection.

Grace.

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, used that word constantly. He believed that all Christian life—from the moment we are born to the moment we die—is surrounded and sustained by God’s grace. Grace is the undeserved, transforming love of God that meets us where we are and refuses to leave us there.

Wesley described three key movements of grace—not three different kinds, but three ways God’s love works in our lives.

Prevenient Grace

This is the grace that comes before we know it. Before we can say God’s name, before we can believe, before we even understand faith, God’s love is already at work. It stirs the conscience, opens the heart, and whispers that we are meant for something more. Methodists believe no one is ever completely outside the reach of that love. It’s why we baptize infants—not because they understand faith, but because grace is already reaching for them.

Justifying Grace

This is the moment when we awaken to the truth that God loves us personally, right now, just as we are—and that forgiveness is real. Wesley called it “the assurance that we are accepted.” Through faith in Christ, our relationship with God is set right. It’s not about earning salvation; it’s about accepting the gift that’s already been offered.

Sanctifying Grace

And the story doesn’t end there. Grace continues shaping us into the people God created us to be. Sanctifying grace is what helps us grow in love—toward God and toward others. It turns faith into action. It pulls us into service, into compassion, into holiness of heart and life. Wesley believed we could actually be made perfect in love—not flawless, but fully motivated by love.

To be United Methodist is to believe that salvation isn’t a one-time event; it’s a lifelong journey of grace. We never stop learning, growing, or being transformed. When we say “Open hearts, open minds, open doors,” we aren’t talking about church marketing. We’re describing grace itself—the wide-open invitation of God that never gives up on anyone and never runs out. We believe God’s grace is God’s first and last word—and everything in between.