Stewardship
Giving is a way of participating in a relationship with God. God loves and cares for each of us and has given us all that we have. We give back to God as a way of worshipping Him.
In 2016 we are learning about the 3 aspects of giving to God as faithful stewardship.
First, faithful stewardship involves giving to God as an act of worship. If you think having an offering during the service as simply collecting funds to meet the church’s budgetary needs, then you will get no more satisfaction out of giving then you get from paying your electric bill. The true purpose is not merely to collect funds to operate a church. Offering during service provides the opportunity for expressing your love for God by giving up something you value. Remember, the essence of worship is sacrifice – giving of yourself in devotion to God.
The second aspect of faithful stewardship involves giving to God as an expression of faith. People today experience anxiety over lots of things, and finances are often at the top of the list. Jesus has told us to not worry about your life, what you will each or drink or wear. He’s not saying to be naïve about your life. Simply “trusting in God to provide” does not mean you shouldn’t plan carefully with reasonable preparation and dedicated work. But we need to recognize that God can set us free from the anxieties that would make us a slave to money and material things. Being a faithful steward is a person who a) knows the world is God’s creation and is grateful to be a part of it, b) knows that God cares for them and c) trusts God to provide you with whatever is needed to be content.
The third aspect of being faithful stewardship involves giving to God as a discipline for spiritual growth. One of the many things Jesus said about money was, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Your treasure may not be just money, it can also be your time, possessions or family. Whatever you value – that is your treasure and what you do with your treasure affects your heart. If you want to change your heart then think about putting your treasure towards the change you want to see. Where your treasure is shapes who you are on the inside and the sort of person you want to become.
Every year we ask members to do the spiritual discipleine of making a finacial pledge to the ministry God is doing through Community in Christ. Here's a link to e-mail our secretary your pledge, or you can download the pdf at the bottom of the page and bring it to worship or send it to the church 7621 Norman Island Drive, Cornelius NC 28031 ATTN: Stephanie.
PLEDGE CARD
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for humans,
since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.
It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Colossians 3: 23-24
Please prayerfully consider your giving for the upcoming year and make a pledge.
I/We, _________________________________________ (name), pledge to support the ministry of
Community in Christ Lutheran Church in 2017.
□ I/We pledge to commit $________ per week for an annual gift of $________.
□ I/We pledge to commit $________ per month for an annual gift of $________.
□ I/We pledge to contribute regularly as we are able.
□ For SimplyGiving/Online givers I give permission to the secretary to make changes to my account based on the above pledge. Changes will begin with our new Fiscal year on December 1.
Sign here _________________________________________________________
Please place in the offering plate during worship or send to the church office. We hope to have all pledges back to the church by November 13. Our fiscal year is from Dec. 1 to Nov 30.