Dear friends,

In scripture, the mountaintop is the place where people encounter God, sit in active-discernment of God's voice/call, are prepared and given the tools for the next leg of the journey, and are filled with the affirmation that God goes with us as we travel down one mountain, seeking out the faithful path to climb the next one. These mountaintop moments are all over the bible:
- Moses spends a great deal of time with God on the mountain; from his encounter with God in the burning bush, receiving the ten commandments, and his final moments of life on Mt. Nebo
- Elijah, as he flees those who seek to kill him, finds himself on the mountain and encounters God not in the fire, wind, or rain, but in the silence.
- Jesus actively went to the mountain to encounter God; on the mountain in the wilderness Jesus was tempted to exert power but instead placed his trust in God, and at the Mt. of Olives where Jesus prepared for his triumphal entrance into Jerusalem as well as his fateful journey to the cross. On the mountaintop, Jesus preached of the coming Kingdom of God, welcomed the little children, and made sure everyone had enough to eat.

The 25th Anniversary Capital Campaign set a goal to erase the remaining debt on our current building and property. With the Holy Spirit’s guidance in prayerful discernment and action our congregation made it happen, completing the campaign and paying off that debt in 2023. This moment was cause for celebration – freedom from financial burdens of the past. And while that moment was indeed celebratory, your faithful giving did more than provide liberation in the moment. The giving of that moment paved a path to continued faithful stewardship, and expanded capacity for outreach to our neighbors in need, and life-filled ministry today. 

Now, in 2025, we are at a moment where we have the opportunity to look forward instead of behind, and act once again with an imaginative faith in the name of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We no longer have a cloud of debt hampering the potential of what God is calling us to. Rather we are privileged, through your generosity, to be intentional in our discernment for a clear direction into the future.

I believe this point in TRPC's history is a Mountaintop Moment. That is, we find ourselves at a peak, gazing out over a vast landscape full of potential and possibility, opportunities to go deeper and further into what God is calling us to. Over the last 27 years, the congregation has been led "up the mountain," complete with moments of joy and moments of sadness, moments of celebration and moments of challenge and growth. 

Together, these moments detail the faithful journey of our community seeking to be the body of Christ in the world. In this season, at the mountaintop, I believe we are called to listen with intentionality for God's voice and to dream big about what God is calling us to in the next chapter of our church’s life. This moment of Tyger River Presbyterian's life and ministry is cause for excitement!

As we look ahead into 2026, the session of Tyger River Presbyterian Church prayerfully discerned and set a pledge goal of $500,000 for our 2026 Stewardship campaign. This goal represents an aspirational twenty percent increase in our pledges and offerings over 2025. Much of this increase is future-oriented, with a focus on building up reserves to address maintenance and improvements needed with our current building. These improvement and maintenance projects will allow us to better serve not only our congregation, but also create new avenues to go deeper into our calling to serve the community around us. 

On behalf of the Session and the Stewardship Team, I am inviting you and your family to prayerfully consider making a pledge commitment for 2026 using the pledge card included with this letter. If you’ve pledged in the past, I hope you’ll be encouraged to see this season as an opportunity to practice even deeper generosity. If you haven’t pledged before, I hope you’ll embrace the chance to practice faith in abundance through a financial commitment to the ministry of Tyger River Presbyterian. In addition to financial giving, stewardship takes on the form of our time and talents. I pray that you, your family, and your friends will welcome reflection on how you might give of yourself to our shared ministry, out of an abundance of God’s grace and love.

Sunday, November 23, 2025 we will have our Stewardship Celebration Sunday where you are encouraged to submit your pledge for this coming year and join our congregation in giving thanks for our collective witness of God’s movement in and through the ministry of Tyger River Presbyterian Church. 

May we embrace this mountaintop moment, just as we have in years’ past, with gratitude for the past, celebration for the present, and faithful anticipation for the future. 

Peace be with you,

Rev. John Daniel DeBevoise