Raising Givers

Every year on the weekend before Thanksgiving we celebrate what we call “Stewardship Weekend.” It’s the one weekend of the year when we talk about giving here to this local church community.  We talk about money all the time, because Jesus did.  But we only talk about giving to Nativity once a year. We don’t nag, we don’t beg, we don’t complain, we don’t try and trick people into giving…and we DON’T DO FUNDRAISERS.


We’re not trying to raise funds…we raising givers.


This weekend we’ll be looking at an amazing video presentation that goes a long way toward capturing what is going on here.  What is going on, briefly, is a great work of God in our community and in our generation.  Anybody who spends time around here on the weekends can see that. If you want more details, come this weekend and listen to our message (or wait for it to be posted here on Sunday night). We want to call forth our members to give to the great work God is doing.  


And we want them to do it as worship.  Not giving out of guilt, not giving to pay down debt, giving in our place of worship as an act of worship.  This kind of giving honors God and actually builds our relationship with him, because it shows him obedience.  Over and over again in Scripture God demands obedience from his servants in little tiny, seemingly insignificant things and then he turns around and does great big things.  Obedience is desired and required.  


This year we’re also promoting “automatic” worship giving (which is arranging to have your offering deducted directly from your bank account monthly or bi-monthly).  I have become a big fan of this for several reasons.  First of all, its more efficient and it cuts down on a lot of cash around here, which is a good thing.  Hopefully the days of the money counters rolling coins are numbered.  But even more importantly giving automatically is a better plan for giving and we all need a plan or giving just won’t not be a priority.


Stewardship Sunday is an opportunity to carefully, prayerfully consider our Stewardship of the great work God is doing here in our community, in our generation.