From the
Pastor’s Pen,
“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.” Malachi 3:10
“…and if
anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.”
Matthew 5:41
Recently, I was reading the latest issue of The United
Methodist Reporter and there was an article entitled “Despite economy, churches
launch giving campaigns”. The article
explained how several UM churches were launching major capital campaigns
despite the current economic difficulties.
For example, University Park UMC in
Despite the warnings of economic
disaster heard on the news, “churches that chose to proceed with fundraising
efforts say the decision came down to faith, not finances,” quotes the
article. That was true for Hamline UMC
in
According to the Rev. Melvin
Amerson, stewardship consultant for the Texas Methodist Foundation, “times of
financial stress can become a ‘teachable moment’. When times are tight, that’s when we need to look
at our priorities. It’s a matter of
gratitude. All that we have comes out of
God’s grace.”
Sometimes uncertainty can even serve
as a spur for generosity. That’s been
true for the Bear Creek UMC in
Friends, just like the churches
mentioned in this Reporter article, our church went forward with a capital
funds campaign for our roof despite the fact that giving has been down to the
general fund. The result was we were
able to raise over $19,000 in less than a year and we’ve been able to complete
the first phase of the roof repair.
Praise God and thank-you to all of you for contributing! Now as we move forward with our Stewardship
Emphasis and pledge drive for next year’s church budget, we are asking everyone
to think carefully about their financial priorities. We are hoping the giving to our general fund
will increase next year and we need your help to make that happen.
I think it’s important for us to remember that the biblical
standard for giving is a tithe, or a tenth part of your income. In the book of Malachi chapter 3, the prophet
warns the Israelites that they were robbing God by not bringing their full
tithes and offerings when they came to worship.
Because of that there were going to be consequences for them. But he promised them that if they would bring
their full tithe into God’s storehouse that there would be plenty, that God
would open the windows of heaven and pour down an overflowing blessing.
I can testify to the fact that this
has always been true for me in my personal giving. There were times in the past, in my younger
years, when I forgot to tithe and my finances suffered for it. But ever since I determined to be a
consistent tither, I have felt the blessing of God. There’s always been enough to take care of
our necessary expenses, as well as a bit left-over for some fun activities. As a matter of fact, I have also found the
joy of “second-mile giving”, by giving beyond my tithe to special projects like
our roof fund, to support missionaries and to sponsor needy children through
Compassion International and World Vision.
In Matthew 5 Jesus talks about going “the second mile.” Back in those days a Roman soldier could
force an Israelite to carry his equipment a mile down the road for him. This was an irritating, inconvenient thing for
a person to have to do for an alien conqueror.
But Jesus knew that carrying the equipment a 2nd mile would
change the attitude of the forced carrier into an attitude of helpful
generosity, rather than resentful obedience.
And at the same time, the Roman soldier’s attitude toward the Israelite
might change as well. Second mile giving
reminds me of the saying, “Don’t give until it hurts; give until it feels
good.”
On Sunday November 16th
during our “Thanks-for-Giving Potluck”, we’ll be asking everyone to turn in
pledge cards for their 2009 planned giving to the church’s general fund. I
hope you will take some time to pray and think through your financial
priorities before you fill out your card.
There is always a blessing for you in giving to the Lord’s work. May God bless you all!
Pastor Judy Robbins