Avondale United Methodist Church
Thursday, June 20, 2013
loving and serving God and others through worship, learning, fellowship, and outreach

Giving & Stewardship

Stewardship Graphic
Our giving is an act of worship.  It’s a way of thanking God for our blessings and acknowledging that everything we have is a gift from God.  Therefore, no matter what kind of giving option you choose, we hope that you will do so joyfully and worshipfully.
 
Use the resources here to explore what giving means and how you can give back to God.
 

What is Stewardship

Stewardship has to do with how we use the gifts that are entrusted to us.  The Scriptures teach that the Lord is the creator of all things, seen and unseen.  Therefore, how we use the gifts of creation, including our financial resources, is a spiritual issue!  Moreover, because nearly everything in our world today involves money, our stewardship of money is one of the most significant spiritual decisions we will make. This doesn't mean that other questions of stewardship are not also important—how we use our time, how we use are talents, how we live in community—but the significant role that money plays in our lives demands careful attention.

The Bible teaches that, as his stewards, God asks us to return to him a tithe (the first 10%) of the resources he entrusts to us in order to support his mission in the world.  As United Methodists, we affirm that the local church is the most significant agent of God's mission in the world.  Our goal as a congregation is to grow ever more faithful in our participation in God's mission!  Therefore, we encourage all members and participants in the local church to strive toward tithing.  For some, the giving of a tenth is a goal you are growing toward each year.  For others, it is a starting point, and you give graciously beyond a tithe.  Whatever gifts you bring, God blesses gifts given in faithfulness and joy.

Though stewardship is a value that we practice year-round, each fall we undertake a special emphasis on stewardship in which we invite all participants in the life of the church to consider how they will support God's mission through our congregation in the coming year.  During the stewardship emphasis, members and friends of the church are invited to pray about their giving and make an estimate of how much they plan to give during the coming year.  Not only does this help church leaders make important financial plans for the church's ministry, but it also helps each of us put God first in our financial lives.

Click here to read about our current stewardship emphasis and download stewardship materials.

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