Byrd Chapel United Methodist Church

Byrd Chapel
United Methodist Church

Serving the Spirit...Serving the Family...Serving the Community

GIVING BACK TO GOD

"I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me,
I was in prison and you visited me." (Matthew 25:35-36, NRSV)

When we join the United Methodist Church, we respond to the question: "As a member of this congregation, will you faithfully participate in its ministries by your prayers, your presence, your gifts, and your service?" Each time an individual unites with Byrd Chapel United Methodist Church, we reaffirm that commitment. All of these--prayers, presence, gifts, and service--involve giving of ourselves and our resources.

How do we give through prayers, presence and service?

As members of Byrd Chapel, we pledge to attend worship faithfully and to actively and regularly pray for our church, our members, our community and for all of the unchurched in our area. As members, we are encouraged to identify our "talents" and use them within the church community to serve God through serving others. Your talents can include such things as leadership roles, teaching, speaking, cooking, singing....any of the things you are good at and that you enjoy doing and that you are passionate about. No job in the church family is too small, or insignificant. We are a rainbow of many colors.....all pleasing to God our Father!

What is Christian stewardship?
Clarence Stoughton said, "Stewardship is everything you do after you say, 'Yes' to Jesus." Stewardship is a lifestyle choice that recognizes that everything is a gift from God. Our responsibility as Christian stewards is to manage all the gifts that we have received from God. God is the true owner of all that we have in life. Jesus consistently taught that our responsibility as his disciples is to recognize that God is the provider of all that we possess and that our call is to be generous givers of our financial resources. A Christian steward contributes his or her time, talent, prayers, and financial resources with a willing and joyful spirit. Being a generous giver is a spiritual response to God's goodness. In addition to supporting our local church ministry, United Methodist also have a unique opportunity to bless the world with our giving. Part of our giving is shared through UMC apportionments. For more information on apportionments please click here.

What about pledging and tithing?
Growth in Christ begins with putting God first in our lives. One very significant way to grow in grace and love is to put God first in the stewardship of our money, pledging each month to give "off the top" to God's work through the Church. Throughout the long tradition of God's community, it has not been a fixed amount by which we plan our growth in stewardship; rather, it is the tithe, a definite proportion of one-tenth of our income, that stands as the traditional minimum gift given back to God out of what we have received.

Gifts of honor, gifts to remember!
Gifts express the love we have for others. At Byrd Chapel members have found many ways to honor their loved ones, including gifts to our missionaries and other mission causes; flowers for the altar; lilies at Easter; poinsettias at Christmas; contributions to the Endowment Fund; and a variety of other special offerings. Memorial gifts honor the memory of loved ones who have died, expressing this love through the ongoing life of Christ's church.

The Endowment Fund
Endowment is one of the most beautiful words in the English language. It means to make an investment in the future, to provide an income, usually for a cause in which you believe strongly and in which you have been involved during your lifetime. Gifts for endowment are either current gifts, perhaps of appreciated securities, or deferred gifts in the form of life income trusts or gift annuities, life insurance, or bequests in one’s will. In making such a gift you are assisting a cause of the United Methodist Church and helping yourself through tax savings. Byrd Chapel has an established Endowment Fund that is administered through the Endowment Committee and the Administrative Board. For more information concerning endowments and other planned giving opportunities, please contact the pastor or the Administrative Board Chairperson. For more online information just click on "Planned Giving"