AN OPEN COMMUNITY

We intended to look at several churches, but PMLC was the first and the last. The sense of community and caring was so palpable that we couldn’t conceive there being a better place for us. It was immediately clear that PMLC lives its ministry of being a blessing to the broader community. At a time when it feels like more and more of society, including the church, wants to turn inward, PMLC deliberately does not. We are not insular, we are welcoming, and our focus is always outward on the needs of others.

We learned generosity from our families and it’s important that we are part of a congregation that demonstrates this same type of generosity. Steve’s immigrant great-grandfather owned a butcher shop during the Great Depression. The shop ‘failed’ because he would rather give food to his neighbors on credit, knowing they couldn’t pay him back, than watch them go hungry. Steve’s grandfather started a food bank in rural northern Michigan, saying, “you can’t do anything, whether work, school or raise your family, if you’re hungry.” Karen’s grandparents grew up in dust bowl Oklahoma and learned the importance of community during difficult times. These lessons were passed down to us and our siblings and are being passed down to Maggie and our nieces and nephews.

It's because of these lessons learned and what PMLC is doing in the community, and how much of our resources PMLC devotes to such work, that we choose to support PMLC with what we have been gifted. We recognize the deliberate choices PMLC has made to be good stewards of those gifts over the years, so that we can be a blessing in the community. That is the type of mission we want to be involved in, want to support, and want to continue to be involved in and support for many years to come.

Our greatest hope is that we continue to serve the community. There is so much need, and that need grows daily. We also hope the next generation doesn’t take for granted what a special and unique place this is. Having had the benefit of perspective, we can’t imagine a better place to be.

Steve and Karen Eichinger

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