The new year is in full swing, and things are hopping at Christ UMC! We’ve got exciting plans for worship, we’re signing folks up for new dinner groups, we’re going strong with Room in the Inn and other outreach ministries, we’re preparing for the second annual Women’s Retreat, and we’re even launching a new website. In addition to all this, on Saturday new committee chairs, team leaders and Administrative Council members will be gathering for our annual leadership retreat, so please be in prayer as we gather for prayer, goal-setting and training.

As we begin our new year together as a church family, I thought it was important to let you know how we are doing financially. The Finance Committee met on January 8, and we are glad to bring you a positive report!

Because of your generous giving, we finished 2011 right on target. No deficit! That in itself is something to celebrate. (Cue the confetti and the balloon drop!) But wait, there’s more! The Outreach Committee wants you to know that you gave over $150,000 to outreach ministries in 2011. Most of our missions and outreach giving does not run through the operational budget, so it didn’t show up in some of the graphs that you saw during our pledge campaign. So, almost 15% of our giving in 2011 went directly to help the poor, the marginalized and the needy.

But wait! There’s even more! Because of the hard work of our Finance Committee and, most especially, because of your faithful giving to the Rock Solid Capital Campaign, we were in a good position to renegotiate the terms of our mortgage loan. We are able to get our interest rate lowered to a level that will save us more than $40,000 a year.

Looking ahead to 2012, our pledges as of Sunday, January 15, have reached $912,000, which means we can move ahead with our 2012 budget as planned. The Administrative Council and the ministry teams of the church have lots of plans for an exciting year, plans that will move us further into ministry and deeper in our relationships with God, with each other and with the world.

As I reflect on all of this good news, I am so astounded at the goodness of God. Last fall, I must confess, I was a bit anxious about our finances. I worried that we would finish 2011 with a deficit and that the pledges for 2012 wouldn’t come in like we’d budgeted.

But, once again, God has hit me over the head and reminded me that worry has no place in the kingdom of God. Of course, we’re human and we can’t help ourselves sometimes, but worry is a sign that we’re not trusting God. I thank God for reminding me that God is faithful, and, no matter what, God can and will work through the church to spread God’s love in the world. For my part, I’m grateful to be alongside all of you all in that work. Thank you, and thanks be to God!

This past Sunday morning as we continued our journey through the commitments we make as disciples of Jesus, we focused on the spiritual discipline of giving. In worship we heard the parable of the talents and were invited to consider where in our own lives we are afraid. We were inspired by Jen Fuqua’s testimony about how tithing had at first been a scary idea but had soon become a joyful practice in her own life. And at the end of the hour we went out singing, “I’m gonna live so God can use me!” It was a wonderful time of worship.

In between the worship services, a group gathered in the sanctuary to talk about our church’s budget, to hear details about how we are doing financially and to ask questions of the Finance Committee. Oddly enough, I really enjoyed that meeting. It felt like a “family meeting,” when we all sat down together to look at the family budget.

Folks asked great questions, and everyone expressed their support and appreciation for those church members who keep our finances balanced, organized and running smoothly. (By the way, if you missed that meeting, you can call the office at any time and talk with Mike Deweese, or contact anyone on the Finance Committee to get an update. As I said yesterday, there are no secrets! The budget belongs to the congregation, and we want everyone to be involved and informed.)

After spending Sunday morning talking about giving, I came into the office Monday and checked my mail. There was a letter in my mailbox from one of our church members who lives at Riverbend Prison. When I saw the handwriting and the colorful drawings on the envelope, I knew who the author was. And, knowing the date on the calendar, I knew the contents of the letter. Every month like clockwork this brother in Christ sends in his tithe. Yes, his tithe. He works a job out at the prison and sends 10% of his income to the church every month.

One Sunday when I was leading worship at Riverbend, this church member approached me with concern. He was worried that the prison had somehow made a mistake in his check and that the church didn’t receive his tithe for the month. I reassured him that we would figure out what happened, and I expressed my deep gratitude for his commitment. Then I thought to myself, “If my monthly check to the church somehow got lost, would I be that concerned? Would it affect my spirit like it seemed to affect his? Is my gift to the church as important to me as his is to him? Do I see it as an act of love and devotion?”

The letter I received from him today was addressed to me and to the congregation, so let me pass on to you some of what he said: “May our God, full of love, mercy and grace, fill each of you with a holy awareness of His faithful promise and seal in your heart His promised joy and peace…. God is wonderful and it often amazes me that after all we and particularly I have done against God’s will and to hurt God’s creation, He is faithful and still loves us! Thank you, Jesus!”

This brother in Christ helps me understand more deeply that giving is a joyful practice. It is a gift made in love to a faithful God. He reminds me of what we heard in worship yesterday: God is faithful. God is able to provide everything we need. God is love, and in God we have nothing to fear. I pray that we would all offer our gifts to God in that same spirit of joy and love and gratitude.

Carol