Giving

Most people don’t like to talk about money. In the church most especially, we hesitate to talk about money and possessions. We’re so afraid of sounding like the televangelist who asks for money ten times in every sermon and then uses the money make himself rich. In our culture we are skeptical of anyone who asks for money. Besides that, we think that what we do with our money is a private matter. We think it is our own business and no one else’s.

But the truth is that money matters. It matters to God and it matters in the church. How we deal with our possessions is a spiritual issue. Did you know that the Bible has more to say about money and possessions than it does about prayer? Jesus told parable after parable to teach us about having a right relationship with our possessions. (See Luke 12:15-21 or Matthew 25:14-30 for two examples.)

Throughout the gospels Jesus teaches us that riches can be dangerous for the soul. When we are comfortable and prosperous, we begin to think that we deserve what we have. We begin to think of our money as ours instead of God’s. But Jesus taught that all things belong to God. We are meant to manage what we have for the good of others and of the world.

Our society has a skewed relationship with money, but being a follower of Jesus calls us to look at our money and deal with our money differently from the rest of the world. Money in and of itself is just a thing, a tool. We are invited to loosen our tight grasp on it, to talk about it more openly in the faith community, to weaken its power over us and over our world by giving generously and extravagantly.

In our congregation we believe that giving is a spiritual discipline. We encourage the practice of tithing, giving 10 percent of your income to Christ’s church and ministry in the world. That’s a radical practice in our day! But we believe that giving reminds us that all things belong to God, and giving radically helps us to trust God instead of ourselves.

We have an opportunity to give each Sunday during the worship service, but many people choose to give in other ways at other times. You might want to make a pledge, a regular pattern of giving weekly, monthly or quarterly. Pledging helps us to plan responsibly for ministries throughout the year. But we are grateful to receive any gift at any time.

If you would like to make a gift online to the church, please click here.

If you would like to make a pledge to the church, please click here.

If you would like to set up an automatic electronic bank draft, please print our EFT Form and return it to the church office.