Giving
What is Stewardship?
Stewardship is about making choices, as individuals and in community. It is more than giving money to the church. Stewardship is about being faithful disciples, caring for and managing all that God has given us.
Stewardship is not just one part of Christian discipleship; it involves every aspect of life in all the stages of life.
Stewardship is the grateful response to God’s grace and goodness. It requires a consideration of how our choices affect us and others, of how we can be good caretakers of the created world, and of how we can best serve God as disciples of Christ.
Why should you give?
For those who follow Jesus, gratitude is directed at God, and the giving that accompanies that gratitude results in financial support of the church and its mission, as we well know. It may be old-fashioned, but it bears repeating: Christian stewardship rests upon gratitude to God. We simply cannot be grateful, in the biblical fashion, and not be generous. When we are genuinely grateful, we cannot help but give ourselves away for the sheer joy of saying “thank you” to God.
How much should you give?
In the Book of Malachi the Bible says, “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.” While, some feel that the Biblical model for giving is a tithe (ten percent of income), we believe that proportional giving, setting aside a gift of faith in proportion to your ability to give is also a Biblical idea. Usually choosing to donate a fixed percentage of income works well. For some, this will be 1 or 2 percent. For others it may be 5 percent or even the traditional tithe of 10 percent. Of course, special one-time gifts in celebration of a blessing or in honor or loved ones are also appropriate.
How do you give?
Many choose to use the weekly offering envelopes provided by the church. Others send a monthly check in the mail. For those who choose to give electronically using a Bill Pay service at their bank, direct electronic deposit information is available from the church treasurer. Please contact treasurer Greg Lepine or call the church office at 424-6057 for electronic deposit information.
