Testimony Sharing from SPRC by Heidi Diemand
Hello. My name is Heidi Diemand and I’ve been a member of the United Methodist Church since I was in highschool. I’ve served on many boards over the years, but now that I’m here at First, I serve on the Administrative Council and Staff Parish Relations Team. I’ve taken on the role of writing grants for the church and I’m also the Chairperson for the Trinity First Hope Center.
I’ve always felt that it’s important to nurture the gifts God has given me and to be a walking example of Christ’s love. In the Bible, it says, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” 1 Corinthians 12:4–7.
I feel connected with this scripture because I know we all have gifts. Spiritual gifts are different from just things we’re good at or like to do. We may not know what they are or how we can help, but I know that since I started to really look at my spiritual gifts, my view on my role in the church has changed. I am more focused on the areas God has called me to and he leads me. I know that God is the only one who leads me and as he does, not only am I blessed, but so are others through my work.
The SPRC serves the staff and pastors here at first. Our mission is to love God, love others, serve others, and grow deeper. We are liaisons and as a committee selected to support and make decisions pertaining to our professional staff, those decisions aren’t always easy to make. We are constantly praying on how to problem solve, how to better serve our leaders, and how to be fair and just. These decisions not only involve our faith, but it’s running a part of the church as a business with employees. Without a solid team, our church will not have the support needed to stay connected to its members and the community. We seek to grow deeper in faith and closer to God, but it’s our staff that facilitates this growth and in turn we must reach out and support them through it all.
So far this year, we have been actively partnering with our District Superintendent and the Conference to support our Pastors and staff, with changes due to Pastor’s Tom’s health. The Church never takes a sick day, so we need to be able to support our Pastor and everyone who fills in to keep things running seamlessly. We also work with staff members to complete evaluations annually. This enables us to ensure that our roles are being filled with people who are qualified, consistently growing in their position, and evolving in their faith as they serve the church and our community. We work with the administrative board and the finance committee to be sure that we communicate staffing needs and appropriate compensation for all their hard work.
It has been a blessing to be able to support our staff and help them through their journey as leaders. You can also help support us and our staff through your prayers and giving. Your gifts in the form of tithes and offerings allow us to be able to do so many things in the church and community. One thing they do is to help provide compensation, insurance, benefits, and time off for our leaders and staff. As they use the spiritual gifts bestowed upon them by God, we can provide for their families with your monetary gifts. Think about the amount of time they spend to not only provide us with two live streamed services each week, with bible studies, small groups, prayer groups, special events, outreach, but also with the time to prepare for these and communicate through meetings, conferences, professional development, cleaning, office work, and supplies. This doesn’t even begin to address the work they do to ensure that we are supported during this pandemic, building maintenance, or in the running of our hope center.
On behalf of the SPRC, I’d like to thank you for the outpouring of love and support you’ve given for our pastors and staff, but ask you to take some time to pray and commune with God about how you could further support our mission as a committee serving our leaders. Your support and prayers not only keep us alive physically, but also spiritually alive, so the Spirit of God can remain a beacon of hope for this community. There is always more to come in God’s plan. Ask Him where can you use your gift to further His mission?
