Presentation by Our Shepherds
February 8, 2026
Our elders shared an overview of the Called to More initiative and why it is needed. As the church of Christ on McDermott Road continues to grow, we are running out of space for adult Bible classes and key ministry and outreach efforts. The plan includes a new Connection Center with additional adult classrooms and gathering areas designed to support teaching, service, hospitality, and outreach in our community.
Learn more, view resources, and see upcoming Information Sessions starting February 22 at calledtomore.info
Announcement from Our Shepherds
January 18, 2026
Good morning church family,
As one the Shepherds here at McDermott Road, I am regularly encouraged by seeing the many ways in which God is using our church family to advance his Kingdom mission.
2025 was truly a special year at McDermott Road.
- We had 37 people put on Christ in baptism
- 75% of people who participated in worship also participated in Bible class
- We had our highest attendance ever for our Wednesday night gatherings in 2025
- We had 47 people from our community participate in our FriendSpeak program, learning about Jesus while also practicing English conversation
- We gathered together weekly to ask the question: “What Am I Saved For?” recognizing we have been Sanctified: Purified for a Purpose.
I hope that each of you feel as blessed as I do to be a part of the work here.
In Luke chapter 12 verse 48, while talking with his disciples, Jesus makes the statement: ”Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” There is no room for complacency just when things seem to be going so well.
We need to recognize that with great blessings comes much opportunity and responsibility.
So, how do we identify what opportunities and responsibilities may be awaiting us?
Jesus encourages his followers to have their hearts attuned to him. As disciples we are called to have “eyes to see, and ears to hear.” Your shepherds believe we have an opportunity to respond to the “movements of God” we are experiencing here at McDermott Road…to further align our actions with His will.
We are excited to share, with you, information about an opportunity to collaboratively expand our ministry efforts in a way that promotes Connection, Service, Outreach and Growth. Simply stated, we believe that McDermott Road is “Called to More”…a phrase you will be hearing a lot in the coming weeks.
Starting Sunday, February 1st, we will begin sharing an exciting vision for our future. We encourage each of you to join us that Sunday and on each Sunday in February as we outline the “Called to More” Initiative.
Additionally, on Sunday, February 8th, we will have a combined adult class that will be focused on providing even more detailed information about this initiative. Please make plans to attend.
As Shepherds, we love each of you and are blessed to serve alongside each of you. We are excited about all that God is doing at McDermott Road and are thankful for your desire to be a family committed to following Jesus.
Announcement from Our Shepherds
January 11, 2026
Good morning church family!
Thank you for being a part of our worship service this morning – whether on-line, or here in the auditorium. Your participation is a great encouragement to each of us. On behalf of the elders, we want you to know how much we love and appreciate each of you.
We want to take a few minutes and express our appreciation for your response to our request in early December regarding our giving. Your generous gifts resulted in average weekly contributions for 2025 of $61,100. This slightly exceeded our actual expenses for 2025 of $60,800 per week.
As a result of your giving and ministry leaders constraining spending below their budgets, your giving exceeded expenses by about $16,000 during 2025. Furthermore, your 2025 gifts were up almost $90,000 over 2024.
This extra $16,000 remaining after meeting this year’s expenses will help as we look to add to our current church home! You also gave gifts of $25,000 in December toward this initiative. Finally, we plan to repurpose previous gifts of $3.1 million given during the Brighter Together program for use in this upcoming initiative. You will hear more next week from Bentley Alexander about this plan, and even more over the coming weeks.
Regarding 2026, we are budgeting $64,500 per week. This is 1.6% higher than our budget for 2025, and 5.6% higher than our actual giving for 2025.
We will explain the need for these changes in the coming weeks, when we will have an information session for all of us to discuss our 2025 financial results, our 2026 budget, and our approach to financial stewardship.
May each one of us continue to prayerfully consider the opportunities that the Lord has placed before us and how we can best participate.
May God continue to bless us all with His peace, wisdom, and love.
We love and appreciate you all.
The elders…
