Share in the joy of giving

Key update regarding Children and Families Worker
Repeated from last week, this week's message from Mark is below

Hopefully many of you know that we intend to recruit for a full-time children and families worker over the Summer. We plan to get the advert out next month for the role which will be shared internally and advertised extensively externally too...



The key ways we need all church family to be involved at this point are praying for the right person for the role, praying for the finances to make this possible and each one of us deciding how we can be part of this increase. Thank you to those who have either started giving or increased their giving recently in response to this need. We still have a way to go! We appreciate some people will be experiencing anxiety around finances but hope that most people will be able to contribute in some way (however small or large) recognising that sacrificial giving is one of the key ways the Kingdom advances; this is a great opportunity for us to invest in what will be a very key role serving and reaching the next generations in our church and community. In order to fund this role we will need an extra £3350 a month in our general fund. We hope to have made significant progress by the time we advertise next month and as in all things, ultimately we trust in God.

We believe God has been extraordinarily generous to us in so many ways and has already provided all the resources required across our church family. With this in mind, we are asking church family to pray and act now in accordance with what you decide in your heart to give (2 Corinthians 9:8, NIV). This could involve setting up a new standing order (you can usually do this via mobile/telephone banking or in branch), increasing an existing standing order (even a small amount makes a difference), starting to tithe your income (giving 10% of any money you earn/receive as part of your worship), or giving a one-off gift to our general fund. We will remind church family of this need a few times over the coming weeks as this is the key time we need people to respond.

Thank you for your prayers and your part in this as we trust God to establish our steps!




Dear church family,

As we look to recruit a new and crucial ministry role this Summer and as we think about future plans for expansion, people have been thinking about giving, so it felt like a good time to consider why we give as a church.

Money is often seen as a tricky subject in our society. I think sometimes the things we have an unhealthy relationship with are the things we find difficult to talk about. The Bible does not have this problem and often addresses this subject, as does Jesus in the gospels on many occasions (particularly in Luke's gospel). In the Bible, generosity with financial resources is encouraged for several reasons. Here are a few:

1. Our God is generous so therefore his people should be generous like Him
   
   
2. Everything belongs to God and all we have is a gift from him for us to steward wisely as citizens of His Kingdom (not to build our own)
   
   
3. We should give back to God as part of our worship, to reflect that it all belongs to him and that we trust in his ongoing provision and generosity to us.
    
4. Our corporate giving supports the shared worship life and ministry of God's people, those in need within the church family, those in need in our community and the advance of God's mission both locally and around the world.
   
   
5. Giving as a spiritual discipline helps us overcome greed and resets our relationship with money so that it is healthy, bringing it under God's rule and reign and preventing it from becoming an idol in our lives.
   
   
6. When many look at the early church and the explosive growth, we rightly attribute this to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the faith of the believers and their obedience and the power of prayer, but another factor that is important is their sacrificial generosity which not only provided for the needs among new believers but also funded practical outreach, travel and other things as needed to see the Kingdom of God advance. People sold fields and possessions and gave whatever they could, primarily as a heart response to what God had done for them, but also because they understood the significance of the Kingdom of God breaking in and recognised the scale of the task before them.

 
We live in a time now when the Kingdom of God is breaking in; when the size of the task before us is big but then we have a God who is bigger! Many have responded to what God has done for them and to what God is calling us to do as a church family through acts of radical generosity and regular giving.
When we think about how we should give personally, here are five pointers that we think are helpful. Giving should be:

1. Sacrificial - Giving is an act of worship (it is not like paying your monthly gym membership!). In 1 Chronicles 21:24 King David said, "I will not sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing" We do not buy everything we want and then give the change that is left (if anything), that is not worship! The widow's offering in Mark 12:41-44 has a lot to teach us. Whatever we give whether we have plenty or little, there should be a cost involved. Contrary to what the world tells us though, sacrificial giving doesn't make us miserable but leads us into freedom and joy.
   
   
2. Priority - Proverbs 3:9 says to give our first-fruits and our best to God. This might mean setting up a standing order that goes out of your bank account the day after you get paid. The treasurer in my last church worked on the principle, 'if it moves, tithe it!' - in other words, whatever you receive, the first thing you should do is give a proportion in worship and thanksgiving to God for his generosity, whether it be a wage, a tax rebate, an inheritance, a gift etc.
   
   
3. Proportionate - a good biblical principle is that we give in proportion to what we have. In the Old Testament, people gave 10% of what they had. This predated the law, starting with Abraham in Genesis 14. 10% is a good guideline for giving but may require careful budgeting if you have never done this before (you may need to start smaller and build up). Likewise, 10% is also not a limit and others may give far above this amount as often seems to be the case in the New Testament (the church always aims to give at least 10% of our income to Kingdom work around the world). For us, this is not a law that has to be followed (see 'Cheerful'), but the principle is that we should give generously in proportion to what we have. Therefore, the small gifts of those who have little are just as significant than the bigger gifts from those living in plenty.
   
   
4. Corporate - Giving is something we do in community. Many might give privately to a variety of charities which is to be encouraged, but the stewarding of resources in community as God's people is the Biblical model. This is why we as a church have a shared vision and budget that we discern and agree together and contribute towards. Accountability is important, hence we discuss these matters at church meetings. Corporate giving also means the individual surrendering some degree of control which can be difficult for some where finances are concerned and is an area where some need freedom. You can think of the church having a family account where we contribute towards the family finances and needs.
   
   
5. Cheerful - We give freely, not begrudgingly. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 says, "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." In our church the only people who know who gives what are the small finance team who keep it confidential. You may give nothing or you might give thousands and no-one would know! God is looking for us to give out of thankful hearts… he doesn't need our gifts but he invites us to share in the joy of giving!
   
   

Ultimately, we give because God gave first and we know we can never out-give God but we want to worship him with everything we have and seek His Kingdom first with our resources.
 
"Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" 2 Corinthians 9:15, NIV

With much love,

Mark
 
SUNDAY GATHERING - 10:30AM Join us this Sunday as we continue our sermon series 'Life-changing Encounters'. For those who are unable to attend in person please join us on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI2GABMKAqo



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