1
tim 6:2b-10, 17-19
These
are the things you are to teach and insist on. 3 If anyone teaches
otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ
and to godly teaching, 4 they are conceited and understand nothing.
They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that
result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5 and
constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the
truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.
6
But
godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing
into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have
food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to
get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful
desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the
love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money,
have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs……
17
Command
those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their
hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly
provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do
good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19
In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation
for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
Sermon
10-26-03 1 tim 6:17-19
Run
for it…annual sermon on giving
Lock
the doors…..
Visitors,
the good news is
Great day to be a visitor- give u a glimpse
into the character of wcc
Do you want to know about our church
culture?
This is the day to be in worship. Do
you want to know what our members do? This is the day to be in worship.
Although I call this the annual sermon on
giving
I hope you hear these themes the rest of the
year.
Sacrifice, living the generous life, living
outside of one’s self
In a 2005 sutdy, George Barna reached the
following conclusions
·
Some
do not give because they are selfish……..ouch!
·
Some
don’t give because they don’t realize that the church needs their gifts to be
effective
·
Some
don’t understand that God invites us to live outside of ourselves.
·
Some
don’t see a return on the investment
In other words, Some do not give to the
church because the church has not explained that their giving will make a
difference in the world
How we spend our money says everything about
what we believe in
Paul told timothy that when we get our
living and giving in proper perspective, we find the life that truly is life.
When
we join the umc, we are asked two questions……..
Do
you profess Jesus Christ as lord and savior and will you be loyal to the umc
Prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness, they are all important.
How should we give?
giving
to God should be
1.
first
[first fruits ex 22]
a.
it
is the first commitment that you keep
b.
the
first check that you write
2.
regular
a.
responsibility
of ministry is regular
b.
support
of God to you is regular
c.
if
you are out of town
d.
if
you are sick
e.
eft
is so helpful
3.
proportional
a.
ever
figured your giving as a percentage?
b.
Rockefeller,
never would have tithed my first million if I had not tithed on my first salary
of 1.50 per week
c.
10%
tithing….2 guys on an island – 1% give 2
d.
if
you get a raise
4.
we
should give cheerfully –
We give to what we love
People
are excited about the royals!
when
you know what goes on here, I think we do find a cheerful heart.
This
is your church.
It is not the preachers church, it does not
belong to the bishop or to the staff.
The strength of this body and the future of
this body is measured by the steps that are taken by you, the members. This
is your church.
You have many choices about where to
give & even where
to attend
Today I want to tell you a few stories aobut
this place
Hillcrest knows we are the church that
willing to do the hard work. They interview the residents before moving
them into an apartment, as certain criteria have to be met. Sometimes the
Woods Chapel apartments get the residents that are more ‘at risk’. Why?
Because they know we are flexible, we know that helping a former homeless
person isn’t easy work, we know that it might require more effort on our end,
and we are okay with that.
The Cancer Ministry and how they help, how
they’ve basically ‘adopted’ the Cancer Center
Sherri swanson
How our Adoption group reaches out to
families,
One of the people involved in this
ministry was adopted as a child
I love how your hearts go out in ministry to
others
Speaking of hearts going out - those we have
sent
Ronald McDonald house story of the family
from Princeton that was served a meal by WCC at Children’s Mercy
Mobile camp
Emergency relief
Jamaica – dental mission trip
CREW, habitat, roof in van buren
Children that receive backsnack packs.
Russian orphans that so look forward to that week when their friend sfrom wcc
visit.
Thank you notes in the wire
I was hungry and you fed me
Los pinos housing
I asked a few folks, why they support
the church
We
give because WCC encourages us to dream dreams and have visions. We give
because it is a place of welcome and celebration.
I
was away last week on business. When I got home yesterday, my six year
old said, “Mommy, you are my favorite human in the world. But I love God,
Jesus and the Holy Ghost more.” Her love of God is part of who she
is. It’s part of who she is because of WCC and the Children’s
Ministry. That is part of why we give.
The
kids are incredibly thoughtful and generous about giving to others. They
collect items at their birthdays in lieu of gifts to donate to various
causes. Our daughter had us go to the bank this month to get money out of
her account for the American Heart Association because there were people with
bad hearts who needed help more than she needed to save for something
personal. The missions that are modeled at church carry over into a
generous heart that reaches beyond the church. That is part of why we
give.
We
see that the “whole” of all that WCC does directly influences how we and our
children interact with the world. I love the contagious effect of being
around those who give of their time, treasure and talent. But the
treasure keeps the car fueled so that we can keep visiting new destinations giving
time and talent. That is part of why we give.
We have chosen Woods Chapel as our church
home for many reasons. The programs for children and youth are amazing
and provide a way for our children to connect with other youth in a
supportive environment and to learn how love of God and service to others
can fit in their lives. The church's varied mission activities provide a
way that everyone can find a way to serve. They have such a great impact
on others locally and across the globe. There are so many activities and
groups at the church that, even though the church is large, you can find a
small group that fits you. Finally, the people at Woods Chapel are great
-- very welcoming and caring for others. We are proud to be members of
Woods Chapel and proud of the impact the church makes.
Holly McCoy
First,
we have formed several friendships that would be lost without… When we are
down, our friends/family from WC are there to pick us up.
When
we are happy, we want to be with our friends at WC.
When
we want to help, we think of how many missions there are through WC.
When
we want to ignore WC…. The sermons, our friends/family… just creep into our
thoughts and remind us not to!
Basically,
our lives revolve around our church, family/friends, oh… and work…
Then
we spoke about the overwhelming desire to want to give again… we would give the
shirts off our backs…
We
want to feed our children.
Some
of these are things that we get through WC, some are what we can also do for
WC.
Not
because we are supposed to, but because we want to.
Maybe
just one thing we can do can help someone else feed their family – Food food,
spirituality, and Love…
WCC is an anchor in my life. The people,
missions, programs, leadership, sermons and support fill my life with meaning
and significance. I feel refreshed and renewed each time I leave WCC. I'm
staying "connected to Jesus" through WCC!
I'm part of the "old guard" who
remembers WCC when it was a little church; and we all knew each other by name.
Rather than waxing nostalgic, however, I celebrate WCC as the "big
church" that it has become -- because of the depth of our membership now,
we're able to sponsor two Hillcrest apartments plus hold an annual Prom
Boutique requiring over 180 volunteers and offering over 3000 dresses. Not
to mention the many other ongoing mission efforts The "footprint" of
WCC is truly large and global –and this is cause for rejoicing!
Commitment
Card
Step chart
Please take a look at the step chart.
Find where you are. Don’t worry about those who are giving nothing.
Everyone was there at one time or another. I am not upset by the number
of folks there, these are our opportunities to grow and help folks grow in
generosity.
Pledge card
Please take home the pledge card attached to
your bulletin and prayerfully consider what you would like to do in 2013. And
then bring your pledge back to church the next Sunday or two and place in the
offering plate.
1.
Your
gifts help us plan for effective ministry- so the budget team can prepare
2.
Your
electronic gifts help keep your church stable during the summer
3.
Your
gifts are doing much good for the sake of Christ.
Conclusion
Take a deep breath
Do your gifts produce significant outcomes-
is your church making a difference in the world?
If you are visiting today, I simply ask you
if this sounds like a place that you want to be a part of? We welcome
you!
Coming together as a group, we are able to
accomplish great things for Christ.
Today I want to say thank you….
·
Thank
you, my friends, for the great love and grace you show in connecting people to
Christ.
·
Thank
you in advance for your generous support of the ministries of woods chapel.
·
Thanks
for wanting to be a part of God’s work, something that is bigger than we are
·
Thank
you for grasping your life and putting things in proper perspective
·
Thank
you for pursuing the life that truly is life.
Prayer
Finally, one person wrote in
the biggest reason I support my
church-
Grace. Our church is a church of
grace. Too many churches are known for what they are against- but we are
a church that is known for what we are FOR. Grace. Grace to one
another, grace to those less fortunate, grace to those who are suffering, grace
to those all over this world.
We don’t ask if those we are helping
deserve to be helped… we already know the answer to that question. Of
course they are- they are children of God, and just as he’s shown US grace- we
will extend that grace through love, justice, and serving- to others.
Grace, alone. Period.
