Greetings, everyone – In your worship folder this Sunday, you will find a tri-fold brochure titled “The Steward’s Lifestyle.” Please read it during this coming week. To live each day as a steward means that we develop a lifestyle of stewardship. For most of us, the biggest challenge of living a lifestyle of stewardship is to give generously of the money that God has entrusted to us. Giving is not a natural inclination. Because of our self-interests, we are inclined to take care of ourselves first and others second. If we rely on our own strength to give, we are likely to hoard what we have. When we give generously to God by supporting our church and helping the needy, we show that our faith and trust are in him rather than in our money and possessions. We need to remember that God wants us; He wants the givers, not the gifts from the givers. He doesn’t need our gifts, but we have a need to give. When Jesus asked the rich young man in Mark chapter 10 to give all that he had to the poor, he went away sad because he was unable to give up his possessions. The rich young man didn’t possess his possessions; they possessed him. When the heart of Zacchaeus was changed, he willingly gave half of his possessions to the poor. This transformation in Zacchaeus was remarkable because before that time, his money had been his life, but, having experienced Jesus’ love for him, his gratitude to Jesus changed his perspective on both money and possessions. His giving revealed a new heart. We are enabled to give because of who God is and what he has done for us. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). We can love “because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). As recipients of God’s grace and love, we are empowered to share God’s gifts with others. This is the Sunday we ask you to return your commitment cards and talent surveys. To give you some perspective on your giving, I’ve attached a chart to this e-mail which can help you see where your giving falls as a percentage of your income. Consider whether the Spirit might be calling you to increase your giving by a percent or two. May God help us all live each day as a steward as we give generously of our time and our money. This Sunday at Central We complete our series “Live Each Day as a Steward” with “The Steward’s Lifestyle.” We’ll begin the morning with our Bible study on the lifestyle of a steward at 9:15am. In worship at 10:30am, we’ll consider the importance of giving our entire lives to the service of God and our neighbor. In Children’s Church, led by Joan Schmitt, the kids will consider how they serve Jesus by serving others and will also celebrate Thanksgiving together. Thanksgiving Dinner We have over 70 people attending the Thanksgiving Dinner! How exciting is that?! Thanks to your generous response since last Sunday, we have plenty of turkey and ham for the gathering. We are, however, still short on potatoes (mashed and sweet), green bean casseroles (or any other vegetable side), other salads, and pies/desserts. You can sign-up online or use the sign-up sheet at church on Sunday. Our friends from Sun Ray Court will be joining us again this year. We had a wonderful time together last year and look forward to sharing Gods blessings with one another once again! Advent/Christmas Worship Assisting The season of Advent begins on the 30th. Sign-ups are now available for the Advent and Christmas season by clicking below. If you’d like to help with lighting the Advent wreath, there are still openings for that. A sign-up page for Epiphany/Lent/Easter will be available early next week. Coming Up December 4, 7pm – EWU Choir Winter Holiday Concert December 7 – Advent Event/Church Decorating after worship followed by EWU Jazz Ensemble Holiday Pops concert at 2pm December 19 & 20 – “It’s A Wonderful Life – A Live Radio Play” at Central See you in worship! Peace, Pastor Dave
Posted on: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 01:23:15 +0000
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