Security and Giving

I just want to talk for a moment about security and how this fits into focus on giving.  

We each derive our personal sense of security from many things in our lives.  Children generally see security in their parents and family. To them, consistency, and love are non-negotiable and necessary. As we acquire a bit more independence as young adults, our security sometimes comes more from our own internal spirit and confidence. There is empowerment in knowing we can make decisions and physically conquer any obstacle! We seem invincible! When we are responsible for our own children (sometimes while also assisting aging parents), we rely more on our ability to provide, our relationships, health care, and typically saving for the future. Then, as everyone is grown and out of the house, we hope we have saved enough, stay in good health, and continue to enjoy the life we have built.

Through all our life phases, we seek ways to feel secure and loved.  In this church, we have developed a profound sense of security in each other. Like a great net, we have found ways to hold each other together spiritually, growing closer in our relationships with one another, emotionally, recreationally, and theologically.

There has been a great gift given to us as a congregation from the members who gave to this church before us.  Their financial gifts allowed us to grow our ministry of giving.  This now should be our legacy to the children in our ministry, the community of Genesee that benefits from our ministry, and to each other, so that we can be here in the same way, secure and provided for, able to share the Good News without worry and fear.

I love our faith family and enjoy being in our home together, worshiping, learning, praising. I want to see you next week.  I want to see you next month…and for many years to come.  

I will wrap this up with Proverbs 11:24, 25:

24 One man gives freely, yet gains even more;

another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty,

25 A generous man will prosper;

he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

Jennifer Parkins

3rd Quarter Income and Expense Report Available

The 3rd quarter 2015 income and expense report is now available. Please contact me if you would like a copy.

This quarter our income was greater than our expenses. Wouldn't it be great if we can continue this trend?

During the month of September we have begun taking an offering during Sunday school. We are hoping this practice will help teach our young people what it means to offer their money to the church. 

I have started working on next year's budget. I know a lot of you donate supplies to the church's Sunday School. Please give me a receipt for these purchases so I can create a more accurate budget. Your donations will also appear on your offering report at the end of the year. This information can be used to reduce your taxable income.

If you would like to receive a year-to-date income and expense report just let me know. If you have any questions about this report please give me a call or send me an email.

Thanks,

Patrick

What Offering Means To Me

Before coming to this church I really did not understand what the offering was for. I guess in some ways I never thought of it; plus no church I have ever gone to before talked about finances and budget with the whole congregation. As many of you know my early church training was in the LDS church where all adults give 10% of the earnings that is just understood. They are trained from birth practically that you are to give 10% to the church. If  you don’t give you are called in to talk to the Bishop and you are banned from going to the temple and some other things until you get caught up. But it is never talked about where that money goes and what it is for.

I later attended both the Methodist church and Nazarene, there you were not told how much you were to give nor why you gave or what was done with the money. You were just supposed to give.
I now understand more what the offering means. It is our gift to God, our thanks for our lives and the things around us, it is a way for us as a church to continue it’s mission. I think I always understood that much. What I did not really understand was what it takes for an individual church to continue it’s mission. I did not really look at the day to day costs involved in running a church and oh yeah of course the church has bills too like utilities, building maintenance, insurance, paying our minister, organist, janitor and so many other things. It’s not even as simple as just funding a mission it is more and yet as simple as just keeping our church running. I appreciate that when I came here I saw numbers in black and white that explained to me where our money comes from and where it goes.

I guess I always thought if you were Lutheran or LDS or Nazarene or whatever denomination you were with there was some organization that paid for all these things, that the offering went to them and they did with it what they wanted. What an eye opener it was to find out that just isn’t how it is for us and probably most those others, to find out that our offering is what funds “OUR CHUCH” right here in Genesee, that we are what keeps it going. I now look at my offering differently, still as a gift to God but also a way to keep our mission as Christians here in Genesee going.

We are facing some difficult times and asking for each and everyone of us to open our hearts a little more and figure out what this church and its mission means to each of us? What missions are important to us and how do we want to help continue those missions? Over the next few weeks we will be asking ourselves how and what we can do.  I hope each of us can find the answers so that we may continue to be here as a family and congregation.

Linda Chilson

Announcements from the church council

The church council will be generating a lot of information in the next few months. Besides making announcements during a Sunday service, we will post on this blog and send out emails. It is important that we reach as many people as possible. 

The church directory is our source for contact information. Please be sure that you are on listed in the directory. You will find hard copies of the directory on the table in the back of the sanctuary. Contact me if you want to be added to the directory.