I remember with thanksgiving the lessons I have learned about generosity. As a small child, who was drawn to the church by the sounds of happy children playing at Vacation Bible School, I looked forward to Sunday mornings. On those mornings, without fail, my mom would give me a nickel for the Sunday School offering and a dime for the worship service offering. Generosity began with small and simple gifts, totaling fifteen cents. When I was confirmed at the age of eleven, I received my own offering envelopes--a symbol of discipleship and a visible reminder that I had gifts to offer the church.
My ability to give has increased over many years. What began with fifteen cents became twenty-five cents. When I got a part-time job, I increased my giving to a dollar. I remember moving through levels of giving, from a dollar, to ten, and then to twenty . . . and more. It felt good to give. It was good to participate and do what, I believe, God expected from me as a member of Christ's church.
Fundraising is done from the perspective and need of the receiver. It is a corporate concept. Generosity begins in the heart of the individual disciple and is rooted in gratitude. I give because I am thankful to God for the gift of the community that seeks to faithfully live out the love of Christ. I give because giving was modeled for me by my parents, who made sure that I had my fifteen cents in a coin purse before I went to Sunday School.
I have encountered many generous disciples through my ministry. The woman who brought a tithe of an inheritance that she had received. The parishioner who gave his gifts while still alive to be able to see and enjoy the effects of his generosity. The child who saved up pennies to send someone else to church camp. I have been privileged and exceedingly blessed by the witness of the saints who responded to the blessings of God by living generous lives.
Last night at the General Synod of the United Church of Christ, a vote was taken to change how we support the Church--in particular the Church in our National Setting. The old pattern of giving that had covenantal partners sharing with one another from the Local Church to the Conference to National Setting is passing away. It is no longer the norm. That vote, I believe, moved us from generosity to fundraising, from disciples to donors, from an offering to a donation. I understand why our denomination needed to do this, but I grieve what it signals. The Church becomes another non-profit in search of funding for its missional purposes and its very survival. We reach around the covenant to contact those whose pockets appear to be deep, ignoring the child with a purse that holds but fifteen cents.
I will continue on, giving because God has loved me through the waters of baptism and has included me in a community of compassion and care that extends far beyond the walls of my local church. I love the United Church of Christ and will do all that I can to support it in every way. I still believe that generous gifts, consecrated collections, still can and do change the world. The denomination will be supported and be faithful if we live with grateful hearts, trusting the generosity of God who makes all blessings flow.
O Generous God, whose grace and mercy we behold in the outstretched arms of Jesus on Good Friday's cross. We see how you love all and call us to serve all with glad and generous hearts. Receive my gift, multiply it and merge it with those of others, and use them all to magnify your hope for justice in the world. Amen.
My ability to give has increased over many years. What began with fifteen cents became twenty-five cents. When I got a part-time job, I increased my giving to a dollar. I remember moving through levels of giving, from a dollar, to ten, and then to twenty . . . and more. It felt good to give. It was good to participate and do what, I believe, God expected from me as a member of Christ's church.
Fundraising is done from the perspective and need of the receiver. It is a corporate concept. Generosity begins in the heart of the individual disciple and is rooted in gratitude. I give because I am thankful to God for the gift of the community that seeks to faithfully live out the love of Christ. I give because giving was modeled for me by my parents, who made sure that I had my fifteen cents in a coin purse before I went to Sunday School.
I have encountered many generous disciples through my ministry. The woman who brought a tithe of an inheritance that she had received. The parishioner who gave his gifts while still alive to be able to see and enjoy the effects of his generosity. The child who saved up pennies to send someone else to church camp. I have been privileged and exceedingly blessed by the witness of the saints who responded to the blessings of God by living generous lives.
Last night at the General Synod of the United Church of Christ, a vote was taken to change how we support the Church--in particular the Church in our National Setting. The old pattern of giving that had covenantal partners sharing with one another from the Local Church to the Conference to National Setting is passing away. It is no longer the norm. That vote, I believe, moved us from generosity to fundraising, from disciples to donors, from an offering to a donation. I understand why our denomination needed to do this, but I grieve what it signals. The Church becomes another non-profit in search of funding for its missional purposes and its very survival. We reach around the covenant to contact those whose pockets appear to be deep, ignoring the child with a purse that holds but fifteen cents.
I will continue on, giving because God has loved me through the waters of baptism and has included me in a community of compassion and care that extends far beyond the walls of my local church. I love the United Church of Christ and will do all that I can to support it in every way. I still believe that generous gifts, consecrated collections, still can and do change the world. The denomination will be supported and be faithful if we live with grateful hearts, trusting the generosity of God who makes all blessings flow.
O Generous God, whose grace and mercy we behold in the outstretched arms of Jesus on Good Friday's cross. We see how you love all and call us to serve all with glad and generous hearts. Receive my gift, multiply it and merge it with those of others, and use them all to magnify your hope for justice in the world. Amen.
This was one of several steps voted upon at Synod which moved us in a corporate direction, and away from a covenantal one. In the the name of "nimbleness", we are giving up much more than many of the delegates may have realized, and it is a shame.
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