ALL IN! ALL OUT!
/Greetings in the Name of our Lord,
As I am preparing for Thanksgiving week, there are many things for which I give thanks. One of the best things about my life and ministry right now is Stonebridge UMC. Thank you for allowing me to be your pastor. You are a blessing to me!
Our Unstoppable – All In! campaign is off to a great start. Thank you to those who have completed your estimates of giving for 2025. To date, 92 estimates have been received for $717,283. Our goal is to reach 130 commitments for $900,000. You can complete your ALL IN estimate of giving online now.
We have also received 108 serving pledges. Thank you to those who have filled out their serving commitment pledges covering over 200 service areas. You can complete your Serving Pledge online now.
Completing this campaign is an important task so our leadership and staff can prepare for next year. Believe me when I say, finishing this will reduce our stress. So, let’s join hands and make Stonebridge Unstoppable for 2025!
Speaking of “All In!”, I just read a story about being “All In!” The story was written by Kevin Johnson, who shares about his 7th grade girls select basketball team that he coached and on which his daughter played. It was the end of the summer of 2021, and they had just finished their club basketball season.
"Kevin was afraid that other teams would poach his best players and the girls on his team were suspicious that Kevin would bring in players to take their place. They had been very successful in the previous season, but because of the league recruiting issues, the team morale was eroding before the season even started.
Kevin and his coaches had to adapt. So… they created a second team to give the girls more playing time and opportunities. This made way for some really good players to join the club who wanted to play for Kevin. But they still had the problem of other clubs coming after their best players.
With that in mind, the team created a motto for the club and a contract. The motto was "All In. All Out." The contract was called the "Loyalty Rule." Both the coaches and players signed a contract agreeing that they would stay with the team for one year and the coaches would not be looking for players during the same period. The team was set – no changes. Both coaches and players would be ALL IN! Everyone signed the contract.
Once they implemented the "All In! All Out!" motto, the team knew the definition of each phrase. “All In” meant that they were all totally buying into the club and the team- the coaches, the players, and their families. It included everyone – ALL IN for the whole season.
“All Out!” meant that when they stepped on the court, whether for practice or a game, they go All OUT! They were expected to play FOR each other. They committed to leaving the gas tank empty at the end of every practice and every game. ALL IN! ALL OUT!
As you might imagine, this immediately became a rallying cry for the girls on the team. ALL IN! ALL OUT! It made them feel connected not only to the organization but also to each other. Kevin reported that they had the best year ever. Not only did they win games, but the girls improved greatly."
The same is true of any organization. For me, this kind of commitment is especially important to the Church. When we are ALL IN for Christ, we are uniquely positioned to go ALL OUT in every aspect of our lives. The best part is that God has promised through Jesus Christ to be ALL IN for us. We are loved ALL OUT by God, no matter what.
Join Amy and me in being ALL IN! for Stonebridge UMC. I believe that the best years are yet to be. ALL IN! and ALL OUT! for Christ and His Church.
See you Sunday. And again thank you for all you do for Stonebridge UMC!
Pastor John Allen