September Leadership Board Meeting
Your Board of Directors held its monthly meeting on Wednesday, September 17, with a full complement of members in attendance to review our church’s progress on the goals and performance metrics we established in January. I am pleased to report that the state of Sewickley United Methodist Church is healthy!
Vital Signs
To monitor the status of our church, the Board reviews indicators called Vital Signs that track attendance at worship services, participation in small groups, and congregational giving by month. By all those accounts, SUMC is in good shape!
Worship Service Attendance
In-person Sunday worship service attendance is averaging 136 people, an 11.5 percent increase over 2024 year-to-date. That’s pretty great considering most churches across the country, and research agencies that track this, report that attendance is dwindling. Not ours!
Participation in our online worship services is also growing. Average online Sunday worship was 218 viewers in the first eight months of 2024, whereas year-to-date in 2025, online attendance averages 359 viewers. That 65 percent increase demonstrates that people like what SUMC is saying and doing.
Small Group Participation
On average, about 150 people are active in our 21 small groups, which range from Nursery to Youth Group to Junior Bells to Women’s Bible Study to Prayer Shawl Ministry, and more. In 2024, participation averaged 115 people, demonstrating an increase this year of 28 percent. The Board invites you to check out our groups, or even start one of your own.
Congregational Giving
Your contributions (along with legacy gifts) sustain our staff, grow our ministries, and maintain our buildings and grounds. Every Sunday Pastor Hannah prays gratitude over your generosity and God’s ability to multiply your gifts and ripple them throughout Sewickley and beyond. The Board reports that congregational giving exceeds 2024 year-to-date by $28,000, or 17.4 percent. This growth is especially important in covering rising costs such as insurance, utilities, safety installations, and funding the new Education Coordinator position.
Our Employees
During the September meeting, the Board reviewed the results of SUMC’s annual employee evaluations. SUMC currently has a staff of seven: Pastor, Church Administrator, Custodian, Music Director, Contemporary Worship Leader, Nursery Attendant, and the new Education Coordinator. Six employees underwent evaluations and all received good to excellent marks. The Board is grateful for a team that demonstrates love, leadership, expertise, service, and kindness.
Looking Ahead
Heading into the final quarter of 2025, SUMC is thriving. Participation is growing, congregants are being nourished, and administration is operating prudently. At the same time, outside our church walls, feelings of fear, unrest, and helplessness are widespread. As leaders and disciples of Jesus Christ, it is incumbent upon us to give more, serve harder, and speak louder as we close out the year.
Lynn Colosi, Member, SUMC Board of Directors