“Let us Love in deeds and truth”
Pledge card is at the bottom of the page
I still vividly remember the most powerful stewardship message I ever heard in a church. That morning the sanctuary was full. Though it was a small congregation, almost the entire congregation was in worship that Sunday. As the time came for the stewardship plea, a very stately older gentleman stood before the congregation and said, “You know what we need.” And with that he sat back down in his pew. By the end of the week, with very little extra explanation the church had all of the pledges to meet their needs and then some.
Historically, stewardship is linked to the health of the community and the mission of God. The first expression of stewardship in the Bible is found within the first creation story Genesis 1:26 "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."
Through the development of the Hebrew tradition, the acts of “stewardship” expanded to include caring for the needs of the community. This is expressed in the story of Ruth, as she is following the reaper to pick the fallen crop that was left aside. Of course this definition comes from Leviticus 19:9-10 "9 When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the LORD your God."
In our tradition we see our life as a gift given to us by Christ and therefore a celebration. To separate or compartmentalize stewardship into aspects of financial, works, environment, etc. is to miss the reality that all of our activity is in relation to the celebration of Christ in our lives. 1 Peter 4:10 "Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received."
Whether our gift is money or a talent, time or understanding we can be good stewards of what God has given to us and celebrate our live as good stewards. “You know what we need.” Knowing the man that said this there is no question that he gave and there is no question that he celebrated his life with Christ. Our theme for Stewardship this year is “Let us Love in deeds and truth” based on 1 John 3:18 which hits at the heart of the wholistic understanding of stewardship.
As a congregation we make a marked difference in our community by the support that we get and what we are able to give. Our commitment to the youth and children in our church and the new partnership with the Bill Wilson Center are just a couple ways we are living out our commitments. Through your gift to the church we are able to celebrate as a community the life and responsibility which God has given to us.
Historically, stewardship is linked to the health of the community and the mission of God. The first expression of stewardship in the Bible is found within the first creation story Genesis 1:26 "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."
Through the development of the Hebrew tradition, the acts of “stewardship” expanded to include caring for the needs of the community. This is expressed in the story of Ruth, as she is following the reaper to pick the fallen crop that was left aside. Of course this definition comes from Leviticus 19:9-10 "9 When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the LORD your God."
In our tradition we see our life as a gift given to us by Christ and therefore a celebration. To separate or compartmentalize stewardship into aspects of financial, works, environment, etc. is to miss the reality that all of our activity is in relation to the celebration of Christ in our lives. 1 Peter 4:10 "Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received."
Whether our gift is money or a talent, time or understanding we can be good stewards of what God has given to us and celebrate our live as good stewards. “You know what we need.” Knowing the man that said this there is no question that he gave and there is no question that he celebrated his life with Christ. Our theme for Stewardship this year is “Let us Love in deeds and truth” based on 1 John 3:18 which hits at the heart of the wholistic understanding of stewardship.
As a congregation we make a marked difference in our community by the support that we get and what we are able to give. Our commitment to the youth and children in our church and the new partnership with the Bill Wilson Center are just a couple ways we are living out our commitments. Through your gift to the church we are able to celebrate as a community the life and responsibility which God has given to us.
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