In God We Trust - Generosity 2021 | First United Methodist Church of Baton Rouge
Money is a sensitive issue in our culture, something many of us prefer not to talk about. This year, because of the financial hardship caused by COVID-19, the financial uncertainty caused by the Presidential election, etc., we considered backing off of the “money talk”. But then we felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit. This year, more than ever, we need to hear God’s message about faith and money. This year, more than ever, we need to weigh and examine where we put our trust. This year, more than ever, we need to realize our relationship to money is a spiritual thing. Starting January 17, 2021 our theme for worship at First United Methodist Church of Baton Rouge will be "In God We Trust". It will be a Biblical, spiritual, and inspirational journey designed to enrich our understanding of what it means to live every day trusting God in all aspects of our lives, including our money. Then on February 7, we will ask our members and friends to make a commitment to the practice of generosity by making a financial commitment to First United Methodist Church. Our emphasis on generosity is not built on the need of our church to fund its budget, but rather on the importance of giving as a part of one’s own spiritual journey and relationship with Christ. We invite each of you to consider making a more intentional and personal response to God’s grace in proportion to the blessings He has bestowed on your life. To assist you in this process, we encourage you to: • Participate in worship: Online, Onsite, or on TV in the coming weeks. • Prepare your heart through morning prayer and devotional time at 7 am (Monday-Saturday) on www.facebook.com/FUMCBR. For more information visit www.firstmethodist.org/generosity.
Money is a sensitive issue in our culture, something many of us prefer not to talk about. This year, because of the financial hardship caused by COVID-19, the financial uncertainty caused by the Presidential election, etc., we considered backing off of the “money talk”. But then we felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit. This year, more than ever, we need to hear God’s message about faith and money. This year, more than ever, we need to weigh and examine where we put our trust. This year, more than ever, we need to realize our relationship to money is a spiritual thing.
Starting January 17, 2021 our theme for worship at First United Methodist Church of Baton Rouge will be "In God We Trust". It will be a Biblical, spiritual, and inspirational journey designed to enrich our understanding of what it means to live every day trusting God in all aspects of our lives, including our money.
Then on February 7, we will ask our members and friends to make a commitment to the practice of generosity by making a financial commitment to First United Methodist Church.
Our emphasis on generosity is not built on the need of our church to fund its budget, but rather on the importance of giving as a part of one’s own spiritual journey and relationship with Christ.
We invite each of you to consider making a more intentional and personal response to God’s grace in proportion to the blessings He has bestowed on your life. To assist you in this process, we encourage you to:
• Participate in worship: Online, Onsite, or on TV in the coming weeks.
• Prepare your heart through morning prayer and devotional time at 7 am (Monday-Saturday) on www.facebook.com/FUMCBR.
For more information visit www.firstmethodist.org/generosity.
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IT’S ABOUT
JOY
Generosity changes
us, filling us with joy
and filling our lives
with blessing. When
we are generous with
what we have, we find
that unexpected
blessings flow back
into our lives, catching
us by surprise.
Generosity is not our
way of raising a
budget–it’s god’s way
of raising disciples.
IT’S A SPIRITUAL ISSUE
Generosity is directly linked to
following Jesus. How we use our
resources is a spiritual matter, not
just a financial one. Our financial
decisions are often a reflection of
our priorities and what we value.
IT’S IMPORTANT TO JESUS
Jesus spoke openly about the
issue of money and possessions.
As followers of Jesus, we should
not be reluctant to talk about
giving as an outward expression
of our commitment to Christ.
IT’S NOT ABOUT THE
BUDGET
God does not need our money;
rather, we need to give it as an act
of thanksgiving and trust. The
temptation in the stewardship
process is to approach the financial needs of the church from a
fundraising perspective–to fund a budget. Our generosity perspective
places more emphasis on the spiritual nature of the effort.
IT’S ABOUT TRUST
WHY WE
GIVE
As we grow in grace, we learn to depend less on ourselves and more on
God: to relinquish attitudes and habits that impede our
relationship with God.
03
MAKING DISCIPLES
of Jesus Christ for the transformation of
the world
[OUR MISSION- it’s what we do]
GOING & FINDING
those who are seeking God, but n
Church, and inviting them to know
[OUR STRATEGY- how we do it]
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