Giving at St. Luke – Stewardship
A steward is a person that
manages the affairs of an estate for the owner.
God created and owns everything.
As Christians, we are trustees of the affairs of God on earth every
day. Many people make the mistake of
assuming that stewardship only relates to financial giving. Stewardship is about properly managing all
that God has given us, time, talents, property, health, relationships, the
environment and the Gospel. Out of love
and gratitude for these gifts, we should use them to serve God as good
stewards. “Each one should use whatever gifts he has received to serve others,
faithfully administering God’s grace and its various
forms.” (1 Peter 4:10)
It is not important how much
we have but what we do with what we have been given. Trustworthiness matters. “Whoever
can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is
dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling
worldly wealth, who will trust you with true
riches? And if you have not been
trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your
own?” (Luke 16:10-12)
First Fruits Giving-
consistently and cheerfully
“Remember whoever
sows sparingly will also reap sparingly and whoever sows generously will also
reap generously. Each man should
give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2
Corinthians 9:6-7)
In an effort to foster
faithful giving principles, St. Luke is enrolled in Simply Giving®.
Simply
Giving® at St. Luke
Simply
Giving® is an automated giving program that helps you
conveniently and consistently give to St. Luke. Through Simply Giving®,
your gifts are made through a pre-authorized withdrawal from your bank account.
You determine the frequency of your automatic gift—weekly, semi-monthly or
monthly—the option is yours. Your gift is deposited into the St. Luke bank
account on the same day it is withdrawn from your account—at no cost to you or
St. Luke.
Thrivent Financial
for Lutherans offers Simply Giving® to further its mission of serving Lutheran
congregations and institutions.
Simply Giving® is a
reliable, safe way to move your stewardship plan into action. It allows you to
share your gifts through planned giving and activates your generosity into
ongoing stewardship. Because your gift is given consistently, you won't need to
play "catch-up" at year-end or worry about forgotten checkbooks or
missed Sunday offerings.
But you're not the only one
that benefits. St. Luke benefits from steady, more predictable revenues
throughout the year, more efficient bookkeeping and greater confidence in
meeting its financial commitments.
To enroll, click here to
download the form. Simply print out the
form, fill it out and return it to the St. Luke Office or fax it to
614-471-8475
© 2002
Willow Creek Community Church
Budget Course
ARE YOU
MANAGING YOUR MONEY,OR IS IT MANAGING YOU?
DO FINANCIAL
ISSUES SIGNIFICANTLY STRAIN YOUR MARRIAGE?
HAVE YOU BEEN
TELLING YOURSELF THAT IT’S TIME TO FINALLY GET ON A BUDGET?
WOULD A LITTLE
MORE MONEY REALLY MAKE EVERYTHING BETTER?
Attend the Good $ense
Budget Workshop! This popular course offers a unique opportunity for you to
begin to transform financial stress into financial peace. You might be
surprised to learn that the Bible offers many solid, relevant, time-tested
principles of financial management. You will come away with extremely practical
action steps on such topics as earning, saving, spending, and investing.
Enroll Today!
Schedule:
The next class is scheduled for october 2006
Good $ense
Material Links:
Click here to download
the Budget Course Pre-Work.
Click below to download optional Spending Plan
spreadsheets
.
If you would like more information about Good Sense Budget Courses or Budget Counseling please e-mail goodsense@stlukelutheran.org or leave a confidential message through the church phone system at 614-471-7326. Press 3 for ministries and follow the prompts to leave a message.
Good Sense is an international financial education
organization, a division of the Willow Creek Association. For more information on Good $ense, visit www.goodsenseministry.com