At a gathering at the Rainey residence on Nov. 18, several members of the United Methodist Women Sisters of Faith group met and tackled the task of wrapping the shoe boxes donated by the Good News congregation for Operation Christmas Child.
Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, which enables people to share God’s love with hurting girls and boys in the far corners of the globe. Shoe boxes are filled with prayers, toys, school supplies, and hygiene items. Each box is then wrapped and marked for the gender and age of the child for which it is intended.
Good News church sent 28 boxes filled with prayers and gifts of all kinds. The UMW donated the postage for all of the boxes that were donated. Thank you to all who participated and helped to bring smiles to 28 little faces.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Stewardship for 2008 and Beyond
This year’s Stewardship Campaign may have seemed very low key compared to other years at Good News United Methodist Church. There is a reason for that. Motivating people to give money to the church can be accomplished in many ways. One is by experiencing a very large, hyped-up campaign where folks are moved by peer pressure and emotion to pledge large amounts to the church. The other extreme is to constantly show how behind the church is in paying its bills each month to generate giving out of guilt and fear. I do not believe in either method.
I believe stewardship is not just something we do once a year to somehow predict whether or not we will have enough money to do the work of the church. Stewardship is an everyday part of what it means to have faith in God. It is an outward expression of our trust in God that we can do everyday whether it is the time we spend in prayer and service, the gifts we use to lift up and encourage others, or the money we give to fund the ministry of the Church. Stewardship is the using of what God has given to us to build the kingdom of God on earth everyday in all that we do.
In addition, a pledge card is more than just a financial record of our promised giving to the church. It is an opportunity to put our faith in action. It is a chance to step out of the comfortable world of trusting only ourselves into the uncomfortable world of learning to trust God with some level of accountability – not to keep us accountable for a dollar amount to the church, but to help keep us accountable to a promise we make between us and God. It is an opportunity to grow in our walk with God.
We at Good News United Methodist Church have a mission to offer the people in our community the opportunities to encounter the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ in all that we do. But, to do so takes money, both now and in the future as expenses grow with a building of our own. Again, let me remind you that even though we will make money on the sale of half of Holy Ground, we are not allowed to use any of the money to pay operational expenses or fund the necessary ministry of the church. That is why we need each other to make ministry happen.
I would like to thank those families who filled out and turned in their commitment cards for 2009, and I would like to encourage those who have yet to turn their cards in to do so by Thanksgiving. As believers, we have a reason to be thankful even during tough times because tough times don’t just need tough people. Tough times need a tough faith in a strong God.
I believe stewardship is not just something we do once a year to somehow predict whether or not we will have enough money to do the work of the church. Stewardship is an everyday part of what it means to have faith in God. It is an outward expression of our trust in God that we can do everyday whether it is the time we spend in prayer and service, the gifts we use to lift up and encourage others, or the money we give to fund the ministry of the Church. Stewardship is the using of what God has given to us to build the kingdom of God on earth everyday in all that we do.
In addition, a pledge card is more than just a financial record of our promised giving to the church. It is an opportunity to put our faith in action. It is a chance to step out of the comfortable world of trusting only ourselves into the uncomfortable world of learning to trust God with some level of accountability – not to keep us accountable for a dollar amount to the church, but to help keep us accountable to a promise we make between us and God. It is an opportunity to grow in our walk with God.
We at Good News United Methodist Church have a mission to offer the people in our community the opportunities to encounter the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ in all that we do. But, to do so takes money, both now and in the future as expenses grow with a building of our own. Again, let me remind you that even though we will make money on the sale of half of Holy Ground, we are not allowed to use any of the money to pay operational expenses or fund the necessary ministry of the church. That is why we need each other to make ministry happen.
I would like to thank those families who filled out and turned in their commitment cards for 2009, and I would like to encourage those who have yet to turn their cards in to do so by Thanksgiving. As believers, we have a reason to be thankful even during tough times because tough times don’t just need tough people. Tough times need a tough faith in a strong God.
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