GIVING WITH FEELING

 

            It’s that time of the year for many churches where stewardship is the focus of our worship services. I know, I know; stewardship should be a year-round occurrence. For many of us, it isn’t. But that’s not the point I want to make this week. I was listening to a stewardship sermon this past Sunday[1], and there were three statements made that I want to share:

1.    The amount of the gift made doesn’t matter, what matters is the cost to the giver.  In other words, giving does not begin to be real giving until it hurts. This statement is ascribed to William Barclay. The first time I heard these words during the sermon, I questioned it. I wrote it down and considered it some more, and it started to make sense to me. The story of the widow’s mite resonated. As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” (Luke 21:1-4) It wasn’t that the value of the coins was really worth anything at all (pennies at most), but the value to her was everything. It was the total that she had to support herself, and she gave it all to the Lord. That’s the point of that statement, not that we don’t want generous gifts, but generosity isn’t defined by the size of the gift, but, instead, by the giver and their sacrifice.

 

2.    Give until you feel it. The story was this: two people were talking together about giving. One of them says, “I could give $1,000 to the building fund and I wouldn’t even feel it.” The response of their friend? “Well, maybe you should give $2,000 or $3,000 and feel it.” I loved this. Just giving because we ought to, because it’s the law, or because people expect it isn’t the point. The point is to want to give because we are a disciple of Jesus Christ, because we follow God.

3.    Generosity flows out of a person’s dedication to the Lord. This is what generosity flows from, not from the law, but from our dedication to the Lord. When we become disciples, we can’t help but want to give to God through our giving to the church.

            I was go delighted by these statements, that I wrote them down right away, and wanted to share them in the blog this week.

            We need to give from our heart; we need to give WITH feeling.

 

            If you wish more information on anything you’ve been reading about, please feel free to contact me at (315) 427-3668 or sranousacctg@twcny.rr.com or susanranous@unyumc.org.  I’d be happy to help.

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[1] Rev. Jefferson Niles (Cicero United Methodist Church, October 29, 2023)

 

                                 THE MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION 

            How many of you like paperwork? How many of you like administration? I bet if I took a poll, the number would be pretty low. In some of my prior blogs and in workshops I have led, I have said that the offering is an act of worship, and stewardship and finance are ministries. I have something else to add to that list: administration.

            I know, I know, when we talk about administration in the church, we think of Ad Council, statistical reports, charge conference reports and the church audit. I agree, that’s why I chose this topic after all; it is Charge Conference Season!

            Not everyone likes doing the paperwork that is part of our daily lives; and it seems like it’s a large part of our church lives as well! In fact, not everyone is good at it either. As someone who scores very high in administration on spiritual gift assessments, I wanted to share a checklist of things that may help you deal with the administrative “stuff”. Keep in mind, I’m a list person. In fact, I’ve been known to create a list of lists that I need to create, so bear with me.

1.            Organization. Being organized can sometimes be hard. But there are some things that I (personally) think can make it easier. Keep your desk/workspace/office in good order. Piles are okay, but not lots of piles and not piles that morph into each other. A good filing system is important. Filing (or scanning and saving) paper as soon as possible after it crosses your desk or the task is complete is vital.

2.            Communication. While it’s great to be able to have good lists and a clean and organized desk, if you don’t communicate good requests, information and processes to others, you will find that your administration will suffer.

3.            Teamwork. Communicating is important, but working with others is also important. Everyone having a good understanding of what is required, what is needed, and who is responsible for what is critical.

4.            Responsibility. As a follow-up to teamwork, let’s keep responsibility in mind. If everyone understands what they’re responsible for, tasks will be completed on time and tasks will be done correctly.

5.            Time Management. All of this seems like a lot I know, but focusing on your time management is necessary for your peace of mind and for the completion of necessary tasks. Maintaining your calendar, scheduling time to complete tasks, and setting good timeline expectations will help. Paper is good, computers are good, apps and programs are all helpful. What works best for you will be the most helpful.

6.            Multitasking. Sometimes it will seem that you will have multiple tasks that all need to be completed at the same time. Prioritizing and communication will help everyone be on the same page.

            As someone who enjoys administrative tasks and is usually pretty good at it, I’m happy to sit down and talk about issues, or meet via Zoom, or even email back and forth to help you with your own administrative needs.

 

            If you wish more information on anything you’ve been reading about, please feel free to contact me at (315) 427-3668 or sranousacctg@twcny.rr.com or susanranous@unyumc.org.  I’d be happy to help.

 

                                       GIVING AS AN ACT OF WORSHIP

 

            How have you experienced giving in either your local church or other churches? For me, I’ve experienced the passing of the plate, a basket at the back of the sanctuary, online QR codes or, sometimes, nothing at all.

            Did you know that the original offering in churches was about money? It was about offering of self. Why? Because churches were supported by the government.

            When we talk about the offering, sometimes we feel guilty, sometimes we barely mention it; often the music played during the offering is almost funeral-ish – after all people are giving up their money! It’s a sad time.

            Giving to the church, i.e. giving to God THROUGH the church isn’t like paying a bill or paying tax. We are worshipping God through our offering. Part of this should not include telling visitors that they aren’t required to pay; only members are.

            In the United Methodist Church, when we become members of a local congregation, we promise “to support The United Methodist Church; and to uphold the local congregation with one's prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness.”

            We need to worship God. Giving is as important as music, scripture, the message and prayers. It is not a bill; it isn’t about obeying a law, but it is about needing to give back to God because of the grace we have received from God.

            Once we recognize the importance of giving, not the importance of the church to receive money because it has “needs”, but the need of the giver to give, we have some other hurdles to get over. Often offering times can be awkward. There’s a spontaneous prayer and we all hope that time goes by quickly. Sometimes the pastor advises the congregation that the ushers will be by to take the offering. What take? The congregation is giving! The ushers should be receiving. And we need to reinforce each time why people are giving.

            What happens when people only give once a month (because they’re paid monthly, maybe)? What happens when people give electronically? That plate gets passed every week. I encourage attendance cards or even a card that can be dropped in the plate that says “I give electronically.” It might be a pretty good way to let others know then can give electronically.

            So, when we consider our offering time, we need to remember:

Our Giving is to God; it’s not to the church. It is done through the church. Therefore, giving to a sacred and holy act of worship worthy of an honored place in our corporate worship experience.

Our Giving is an Act of Worship; OR maybe it’s the central part of worship (or it should be). Throughout the Bible are stories of people coming to worship God with offerings in hand. Don’t get rid of the offering but redefine and redesign it to make it something that people look forward to and enjoy and celebrate – believers and guests alike.

Our Giving is to be a Celebration. Have you ever seen a video on youtube or somewhere else where the offering is danced up the aisle? It’s an exciting and major part of the service.” That’s as it should be because giving is intended to be an exciting act of worship, a celebration of our love for Him and His love for us. Gifts are being made to the Lord.

            Consider these things:

·         Offering time should be a big deal

·         Don’t be apologetic

·         Talk about the importance of giving

·         Let there be personal testimonies of those who have been blessed BY giving or BY receiving

·         Have lively music, great singing, heartfelt prayers

·         Make it a time of celebration!

I encourage you to let giving and generosity be the cornerstone of your theology and the theology of your churches and congregations!

 

            If you wish more information on anything you’ve been reading about, please feel free to contact me at (315) 427-3668 or sranousacctg@twcny.rr.com. I’d be happy to help.