July Financial Article


Okay, do you want the good news or the bad news first?  I recently ran across a cartoon of two cavemen and one caveman said to the other, “The good news is I invented fire today.  The bad news is I burned dinner.”  That kind of sums up this finance article, I have some really great news to share with you, but I have to pair that with a warning not to burn dinner.
The good news is you did an AMAZING job on raising funds for the Congregation Comfort Campaign!  You gave over $30,000 to be used for the new HVAC units in the Worship Center.  That is an astounding job and we thank you for your generosity.
Now, I must share a word of caution.  I do not want this in any way to take away from the previously mentioned praise.  However, I must bring this up or I am simply not serving you well as your Financial Officer.  We saw a drastic drop in budget giving in May (that’s your regular tithes and offerings).  May’s budget giving dropped 18% from the monthly average thus far this year. That is almost a $10,000 decrease in giving for the month of May.  Coincidentally, as of the end of May we are almost exactly $10,000 less in budget giving than we were at the same point in the year for 2018.
Again, we thank you for your generosity for the gifts given to the Congregational Comfort Campaign.  And I also give you words of caution; hopefully understood as lovingly so, ”don’t burn dinner.”
So, all I encourage of you is to make sure your giving is an act of worship.  Pray about it and follow God’s direction.  I have no words to tell you how to give, so I lean on the Apostle Paul to guide us.  Paul gave instructions to the Corinthians on how to give, and I know if we listen to Paul’s instruction everything will be just fine.
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever  sows generously will also reap generously.  Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will be abound in every good work. 
2 Corinthians 9:6-8




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