Operating and Capital Giving
John Wesley urged those in connection with him to "Earn all you can and save all you can, so that you can give all you can." He modeled modest living and sacrificial giving. Wesley made sure those early classes of "methodists" took weekly offerings for outreach.
| In 1992 I was part of a Volunteer in Mission team to Panama. The poverty there made me realize my own wealth. I came to grips with the reality that giving is primarily a spiritual matter and only secondarily an economic matter. I realized that with my relative affluence, if I cannot tithe 10% of my income, I have a spiritual problem, not an economic problem. I’ve discovered that if I regularly give away at least 10% of my income, I am more disciplined with the other 90%. I have discovered that any difficulty I have in living on 90% or less is a matter of my spending appetite. It’s a matter of wants, not needs. I have also discovered that if I cultivate a spirit of generosity in my soul, I am happier, more content, and less irritable. I give because I enjoy helping others, but also because I’ve found it helpful to me!
- Ted Leach
Senior Pastor
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Today at First Church, we passionately support missions at home and around the world, we care for those in our church and community and we seek to grow spiritually. Just as Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes when the crowd grew hungry, we are seeking God, knowing Christ and sharing His love thtough our ministry of giving.
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What Does God Think About Money?
Clarifying the Connection Between Stewardship and Discipleship
By Rennie Faulkner
When we think of Christian discipleship, what are the practices and disciplines that immediately come to mind? Worship and prayer would be at the top of the list. Regular Bible study is another discipline that is essential to anyone seeking to live the life of faith. Christian outreach – modeling Christ’s love for us by ministering to those in need – is yet another sign of the Christian life and an important part of our United Methodist heritage.
So where does the money fit in? What does the Bible have to say about money and giving? Here are some thoughts to consider and pray about:
What does the concept of Christian stewardship really mean?
Stewardship refers to our moral responsibility to care for all resources with which we are entrusted, including money. The financial resources that we have, and the talents and abilities that make us capable of earning a living, are themselves gifts from God. We are called to give back to Him as a tangible expression of our gratitude and trust.
What did Jesus say about money?
Jesus had lots to say about money, probably because money is one of the areas where human beings frequently become most protective and defensive. On numerous occasions, Jesus taught his followers to focus on spiritual matters rather than earthly matters. In the sixth chapter of Matthew, Jesus told his disciples “…where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21) Several verses later, He presented our alternatives clearly:
No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
-- Matthew 6:24
How is this teaching relevant for me?
Jesus never said that money is bad. He warned repeatedly that it can become a major impediment to leading a life of faith, a life that finds its meaning in an abiding trust of (and love for) God. So the relevance for each of us lies in the question that Jesus is posing: What will provide our purpose, our meaning, our security for life? Which will it be, God or money?
Our church seems to have plenty of money, so why is my giving so important?
It’s really not about the church – it’s about you. First United Methodist Church has many programs and ministries that support its mission of “magnifying Christ and making disciples” for God’s kingdom. However, the teachings of Christ center on the blessings received by the faithful giver, not on the blessings received by the recipient of the gift. If our church members demonstrate true faithfulness and generosity, God assures us that the work of the church will be well funded and its ministries will be richly blessed.
It is clear from Scripture that an attitude of humility, generosity, unselfishness and joy is at least as important as the amount of money involved:
So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets…do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, Who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
-- Matthew 6:2-4
| Several years ago, the congregation of FUMC made the decision to stay downtown. This decision was essentially a statement that the church wants to be a vital part of, and contributor to, the downtown area and nearby residents. Now, words such as opportunity, impact, and mission come to mind.
The church is well on its way to having its debt retired and now, more than ever, we have the opportunity to take advantage of being downtown. The advantage rests in our ability to leverage our downtown location to have a greater impact with our resources to help those in need. This is, after all, our mission.
Please prayerfully consider your level of giving. Consider a plan to increase it over time. Consider it a true opportunity to have an ever increasing impact on FUMC's mission.
- John Crocker
Chair of Finance Committee
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What if I don’t have a lot of money?
The measure of a faithful giver is not the amount of money he or she gives; it is the generosity of the gift. Two stories from the book of Mark illustrate Christ’s concept of generosity. The rich young man earnestly approaches Jesus in the tenth chapter of Mark, and informs Jesus that he has faithfully kept the Ten Commandments. When Jesus then tells the man to sell all his possessions, give the money to the poor, and follow Him, the man “went away sad, because he had great wealth.” (Mark 10:22) This man wanted eternal life, but he wanted Jesus to meet him halfway.
Two chapters later, Jesus observed one of the greatest acts of generosity in all of Scripture when the poor widow placed her two coins in the temple treasury:
Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything – all she had to live on.
-- Mark 12:41-4
How much should I give?
Giving is personal, and as Jesus said, it is a matter of the heart. If we are faithful in prayer, worship, and other spiritual disciplines, then we will know if we are being faithful in our financial stewardship. Fortunately, the Bible gives us the tithe (1/10 of income) as the baseline standard for giving to God’s kingdom. It is the standard originally set forth in the Old Testament, and Jesus acknowledges the tithe again in Matthew’s gospel when he lectures the religious leaders for their hypocrisy.
In the book of Malachi, God issues a powerful challenge and promise to the people:
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.
-- Malachi 3:10
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