November 5 - 11 , 2007
SOLI/Update
www.stewardshipoflife.org
Pastors, are you sharing your story of personal stewardship with your congregation? That was one of the challenges given to participants last month at a conference of the Stewardship of Life Institute. In response, this is the pastor's message I wrote for my congregation's November newsletter:
Why I tithe
Every first of the month a $300 payment is automatically transferred right out of my bank account into our church's. It’s all courtesy of Simply Giving, the free service made available through Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.
For me it’s a good deal because it’s automatic. I don’t have to think about it, I don’t have to write a check, I don’t have to do anything to make it happen. Because it’s automatic, I don’t miss the money. I’ve adjusted to the monthly cash flow.
The $300 a month essentially fulfills my tithe — the Biblical notion that we contribute to the church 10 percent of what we receive from God’s hand.
My salary plus housing allowance is $38,000 a year. Tithing would be $3,800 a year. In addition to the $3,600 a year I give through Simply Giving, I also pay the cost of our email and web service ($120 a year) and make occasional donations by check for special occasions and purposes, as finances permit.
The point is not to boast about my giving, but to share with you the fact that I am personally committed to tithing, and that it has made a big difference in my life. Here’s how.
Financial Security
It seems counter-intuitive to say that I received financial security by giving away my money, but it’s true. In the old days, about four years ago, before I committed to tithing, I would pay all my bills and then decide what I would give the church from the amount left over. My contributions to church were pretty slim and I struggled to pay bills.
Now I “tithe” off the top, and although I have occasional tight spots in my finances, I always have enough. Tithing has taught me that God gives me sufficient money for all my needs.
Trust in God
Relating to this, I have gained deeper trust that God is faithful and responds to my faithfulness. More than once while tithing, I have struggled with bills and gotten a check or income opportunity “out of the blue.” It’s not a “prosperity gospel” thing — that if we give, God will make us rich. Jesus never says God will make us rich, only that God will provide for our needs. I just tithe and trust.
Joy in giving
When I do have those windfalls or extra opportunities for income, I find pleasure giving away 10 percent. Once I received $250 for a writing assignment in the same week someone was looking for help. I was happy to give them $25.
Satisfaction
Tithing fills me with satisfaction. I am giving to the church and funding God’s ministries. I believe in the church, both Trinity and the wider church. For all its faults and foolishness, it is still the church.
--Rob Blezard, editor and webmaster
(Reprint rights granted to congregations for nonprofit use. Just include this note: "Copyright (c) 2007 The Rev. Robert Blezard,
www.stewardshipoflife.org. Used by permission.")
New This Week:
The Privacy of Financial Giving
This insightful essay agrees that giving should be private, but not secret: "Secrecy is really a cover for individual or collective shame about how little we give. Embarrassment about giving reveals a congregation that has not reached the point of being generous, joyful givers, alive in discovering the gospel truth that in giving, we receive."
Click here for "The Privacy of Financial Giving," from the United Methodist Church's
Center for Christian Stewardship.
The Path to Solving Challenges
When you approach the issues facing your church, attitude DOES make a big difference, says stewardship columnist Tuck Aaker. "It isn't until we stop thinking about the loss and focus on the future for our loved one that anything positive can result.."
Click here for for "The Path to Solving Challenges," from
ELCA Stewardship Resources.
Moving from Fund-raising to Stewardship
In this interview, stewardship expert Deborah Callard reveals her secrets: Stewardship ministry is about relationships—to money, to each other as individuals and as a faith community, and ultimately with God. It includes inspiring preaching, education, opportunities to share ideas about the role money and resources play in individual lives, and personal stories about giving."
Click here for "Moving from Fund-raising to Stewardship," from the Alban Institute's
Congregational Resource Guide.
Nothing Doing
When a busy preacher, husband, father, homeowner, took a moment to relax, it opened up a world of joy. Could this be a key to stewardship of life? "That hour was not like other hours. During that hour, my time was without form and void, and blueness was over the face of the earth. I don't know if the Spirit of God moved across the expanse of my emptiness, but I can tell you that it felt good."
Click here for "Nothing Doing," from
The Christian Century.