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The Stewardship Connection Round Pegs Into Square Holes by Rev John Golv |
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Congregational Mission Endowment Funds Stewardship Adventures: Increasing the Harvest 15 to 30 Percent
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Round Pegs Fit Square Holes, Gifts Can't be Required
Here are some square pegs that don't fit round holes. ·Have you received thank you notes from the Internal Revenue Service? Hardly. The IRS gets payment, not gifts. What we want back from IRS is an official receipt to prove that our obligation has been met. ·Here's another. When our son or daughter opens our gifts, do we grumble about unavoidable annual birthday expenses that seem to climb continually? Hardly. We gave a gift, not a payment. We'd be hurt if our excited kid ran to the bedroom with the new present, only to return with a receipt. ·One more example of square pegs and round holes. Congregation mission support at one time was called district dues. Is that why many people still see mission support as an annual expense, an obligation, a bill to be paid? Congregation tasks Mission support is not a bill to be paid but a gift to be given. When that's true, we see Christian satisfaction in giving. As Christian people realize the unexpected wonder of God’s gifts in their lives, they see that their congregation also has been entrusted with God's gifts. From there, it's only a short step to see which tasks the congregation should tackle and what it can accomplish. Churchwide ·For people involved in new congregations in the United States, all 30 of them, this year is one of unexpected, even astonishing, blessing. Many are hearing for the first time the Gospel of God's unconditional grace for the sake of Jesus Christ. ·The people who serve as overseas missionaries, 324 of them, are seeing unexpected blessings. ·The careful and faithful work of educating the next generation of leaders at our eight seminaries and twenty-eight colleges and universities uses many gifts. ·Those whom Jesus called the least among us are hearing Good News and receiving food, water, a welcome, clothing, medicine, and visitation. Synod-wide ·In the Synod, rostered people and congregations in the call process benefit from a nationwide network that makes the best matches possible. ·Neighboring congregations that might benefit from new ways of cooperating with each other are exploring geographical parishes. ·The thank-you note that congregations receive for mission support gifts is sincere. Our gifts, added to gifts from others and used faithfully, accomplish far more than we realize, which is the satisfaction of Christian giving.
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