Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Greetings!  April 3rd marked the last Sunday of our Percentage Living program at Christ’s Community Church . . . it really went fast, didn’t it?  Below is a summary of the fifth and final service in the series, Giving God a Percentage of My Income: Generosity.  These weekly emails summarize our worship and outline the opportunities during the week. 

The service was opened with the congregation reviewing together the April 3rd Scripture from Brad Carlson’s, “Who I Am in Christ” handout: “I am a cheerful giver.  God loves me.” – 2 Cor 9:7.

Karen O’Rourke was our guest speaker for our Percentage Living Moment.  She spoke about how she has been blessed by God’s faithfulness and her humble beginnings where her family had “more love than money.”  She watched her father each week as he wrote out a check and reminded them that it was important to honor God by giving an offering every week.  When his church had an outreach program and no funds to buy a van to bring a dozen kids to Sunday School, her dad had a van and volunteered to bring the kids.  These memories helped to shape her giving habits as an adult.  When church “estimate of giving” cards were distributed, her family took that opportunity to increase their giving regularly.  Karen recalled one time when they questioned if they could increase their commitment.  It was the year their daughter, Casey, decided to attend a private college.  This put some stress on the family to think about upping their commitment with the looming college tuition.  They felt it was God’s leading that they should turn in their commitment card with an increase, and they did.  The next day, in the mailbox was a scholarship letter for Casey with an amount more than the commitment!  Through God’s grace, they always met their giving goals.  If we are faithful to Him, He is faithful to us!


Karen also remembered Bruce Kalland talking about regular giving (each week) to the church, as the church expenses need to be met weekly . . . not just when it is convenient for members to contribute.  So, when the e-giving program was offered, Karen and Kelly signed up.  Now their offering comes out first and they don’t “wait to see what’s left over” for the church.  Karen and her family feel blessed beyond what they could ever imagine by their faithfulness and regular giving.

During the celebration time, we sang:  “Breathe,” and “Hungry, I’m Falling on my Knees.” During the offering the choir sang “All I Give to Jesus.”

Val Caple delivered the children’s chat.  She shared the commitment information with the children and told them it was about giving to God what he first gave to us.  We can be generous with our jobs.  She asked the children if they had jobs or chores at home.  The children mentioned, “Making their beds, cleaning their rooms, and taking out the garbage, etc.”  Val compared this to scripture about honoring our father and mother by doing our chores cheerfully.  Another example she used was if a mom or dad was sad, what could the children do to help?  It was mentioned that they could pray for them (that Jesus would comfort them) and also they could give a hug or kiss to their parent.  Giving hugs and kisses would be a way that the children could “give generously” since the children don’t have jobs where they earn regular income.  She concluded with a special prayer that the children would be able to know and discern ways that they could give generously and to grow in their knowledge of Jesus and experience His love. 

Kris Kothrade offered prayers of the church. Linda Thielen read scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:1, 14-15; 2 Corinthians 9:7-8; Luke 6:30, 31, 38 (NIV).

During the message, I welcomed all to the final Sunday (week #5) – Giving God a Percentage of My Income and recapped the previous weeks’ messages:  giving God a percent of my day in devotional prayer, giving God a percent of my Sabbath through worship and learning, giving God a percent of my time by serving, witnessing and inviting, and glorifying God in what I earn through percentage saving and spending.  Good stewardship is giving to God in all areas of our lives!

I mentioned that April is also “Holy Humor Month” and had tried to find funny stories about money, but although I spent a lot of time researching, wasn’t able to find any!  Instead, I was able to find two comics about money & church and put them on the PowerPoint.  H-m-m-m . . . looks like the church would find us even if we were stranded on an island if it were commitment Sunday!  ;-)

I pointed out that although there is a stereotype that the church tries to pry money out of us, the church can really serve to help us understand how God wants us to use our money.  I then asked everyone to turn to our Bibles and review the scriptures about being generous and giving cheerfully.  We should give cheerfully out of thankfulness.  In Percentage Living, Rev. Gary Marsh also states that “When we give, we create pools of sufficiency!”  God is with us as we embrace the freedom to give.  God rejoices over cheerful giving.  Give cheerfully based on what God has called you to give.  Then I reviewed some giving guidelines: 

Giving Guidelines:

  1. 1)God has given us abundant blessings.
  2. 2)    Give cheerfully!
  3. 3)    Give based on what we have decided in our hearts
  4. 4)    Give of our first fruits
  5. 5)    Give regularly
  6. 6)    Give something from 1% on up
  7. 7)    Give somewhere, to the church or other charitable causes.  (Church is one place, but not the only place.)

The point is to give something . . . this is what God is calling us to do.  Give to God from the abundance He has given us.  Church is NOT the reason we give . . . God is! 

The scripture that ties it all together for Christ’s Community is this:  “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Ephesians 4:16).  So, if we all work together and grow and become healthy, we will give our time, talent and treasure to build up the body of Christ!

Karen offered the Percentage Living Challenge.  How can we be more faithful?  She highlighted the information in the stewardship packet.  Are you at the level that you want to be and what would it take to go to the next level?  She also highlighted a “Stair Steps of Giving” graph in the bulletin . . . will you “climb the stairs” for God and consider increasing your giving?  As we think about how we’ve grown through this Percentage Living series, she encouraged all of us to put our money where our mouth is and show our faithfulness by regularly giving a percentage of our income to God. 

Next, I reviewed the information in the packets and invited the congregation to fill out the commitment cards and place them on the altar.  These sealed envelops will be kept private and mailed back to members in a month as a way of being accountable for what we have committed.  I also invited everyone to sign a leaf on the table up front.  These leaves will be put on a tree in the Saal to remind us of how we work together to build up the body of Christ.  I closed by sharing an old bumper sticker, “Give if you love Jesus.  Anyone can honk.”  We give because we love Jesus and in giving we will be blessed as we create pools of sufficiency in a broken and hurting world. 

Felicia Enns sang, “This is My Desire” as the commitment cards were brought forward to the altar.  The leaves were signed by the members to be displayed on the metal tree that will be a reminder for us of Ephesians 4:16.  If you haven’t had a chance to sign, let me know!

There was a closing Liturgy for Stewardship from the Moravian Book of Worship and a closing hymn, “Take My Life and Let It Be.”

The closing scripture was from Malachi 3:10.

After the service many members joined together in the activity room for a delicious potluck. 

Thank you all for your faithfulness and attendance during our stewardship series.  I know that I was blessed by these services.  I hope and pray that your family felt it too!  As a congregation, we will continue to offer support and encouragement as we all live out the commitments we made to give God portions of all areas of our lives.


In His Light,

Pastor Jenny