GROWING JOYFUL STEWARDS IN YOUR CONGREGATION

Joy

Abundant

Overflowing Generosity —2 Corinthians 8:1-7 (NRSV)

Percentage Living: Growing Disciples Who Give in the Local Church Paul lays it on the line. He urges the believers in Corinth to give generously and joyfully: We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia; for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints—and this, not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first to the Lord and, by the will of God, to us, so that we might urge Titus that, as he had already made a beginning, so he should also complete this generous undertaking among you. Now as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you—so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking. —2 Corinthians 8:1-7 (NRSV) Paul holds up for the Corinthians the example of abundant giving by a group of people who are living on the edge, who don’t have the material wealth that’s usually associated with abundant giving. But they give anyway, gladly, decidedly, and with generosity. The Macedonians gave in a way that still inspires us today. They gave not only of money, but most importantly of themselves: first and foremost they gave themselves to the Lord. Once they did that, the rest was…easy? Easier? Maybe the right word is “possible.” It was possible. This undertaking of biblical generosity was possible for them. And it can be for us as well. Percentage Living is adapted from a program created by Gary Marsh, director of stewardship for the Moravian Church. © 2012 Ecumenical Stewardship Center, 12541 Madison Street NE, Blaine, MN 55446 Phone/Fax: (855) 278-4372; Email: [email protected]; Website: www.stewardshipresources.org. Permission is granted to reproduce any portion of this insert for use in your congregation.

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Abundant Joy, Overflowing Generosity Percentage Living You’ve heard of percentage giving. But to follow the example of the Macedonians—to first give ourselves to Christ—is “percentage living.” Our giving, like theirs, can flow out of a commitment of our entire life to God. Taking a look at scripture, we see that the Macedonians had the right idea. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27, NRSV). “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will act” (Psalm 37:5, NRSV). “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established” (Proverbs 16:3, CEV). God deserves so much more than we give, but if we’re honest with ourselves, life happens. We live in a world with complex demands on our time, energy, focus, and attention. So rather than feel guilty that God does not get more of us, we can find security and experience growth in our faith and walk with the Lord through percentage living—giving God a specific and intentional portion of our day, our week, and our life. This giving emphasis presents percentage living over four consecutive Sundays. The goal is to help an entire congregation become increasingly healthy as each person of faith becomes a more committed follower of Christ. The groundwork for the four weeks of focus on percentage living begins months ahead of time with the selection of leadership and service teams.

Percentage Living in Action The Leadership Team Several months ahead of the four-week emphasis, begin recruiting leaders who will pray, plan, and

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organize the materials and information that will be used. These people may be members of an already established stewardship ministry team or representatives from the governing board along with selected members from the congregation. Effective members of the Percentage Living leadership team will understand the importance of faith formation. They should be people who have shown a desire to grow as disciples, and who are committed to the values, goals, and mission of the church—people well able to model what will be asked of all members. The leadership team will be most effective with the pastor as an active member, since he or she will be the primary individual who will preach and teach. The pastor can also offer theological and methodological guidance throughout the Percentage Living series of services and activities.

The Service Team Consider having the leadership team appoint a shortterm service team, a group of committed folks who have the skills, passion, and commitment to encourage the spiritual growth of individuals and the whole congregation, and time to do a lot of the organizing of Percentage Living activities. Members of the service team will be assigned specific responsibilities by the leadership team. The leadership team might direct the service team to coordinate production of a Percentage Living devotional, for example, or to organize activities associated with the four Percentage Living worship services. Have the leadership team choose the chair of the service team, and work with that person to recruit the other members of the team. The role of the leadership team will be to offer the service team guidance, receive service team reports and updates, and work with service team members to ensure the success of Percentage Living. One of the service team’s tasks should be to send a letter to every church household that introduces Percentage Living and gives people an idea of what members of the congregation will be exploring together in the coming weeks. (A sample letter is included on page 7 of this insert.)

Planning the Four Worship Services Planning for Sunday One

Giving God Our Day Design and plan a worship service that conveys a biblical understanding of giving God a specific portion of the day through devotional prayer. Devotional prayer is • a way to be present before God each day, to be quiet and still, to speak and listen, to feel and understand. • very personal, but always practiced with discipline. • an active part of a person’s desire to commune with God and grow in faith, to daily come before God, to be given words and thoughts to reflect on throughout the day. • vital for the spiritual health of the believer and the church. Thought Starters: • Present two or three specific ways through which a person may begin or grow in the practice of daily devotional prayer. The goal is to have people not only know of these tools, but be taught how to use them and the benefit of having daily quiet time with God. • Suggest ways that people can include praise, thanksgiving, petition, and confession in their devotional time, and use music to help them focus and reflect. • Encourage people to journal, and distribute journals with relevant scripture passages followed by questions to spark a journal response. • Plan the week’s adult Sunday school around a devotional and several questions to help people get started in their prayer and journaling time. (The first of four bulletin inserts for this 2012 giving emphasis, “Abundant Joy, Overflowing Generosity,” is designed to serve this purpose. The bulletins and other materials are available for purchase from ESC; see the Theme Materials ad on page 19.)

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Abundant Joy, Overflowing Generosity

Planning for Sunday Two

Giving God Our Worship Design and plan a worship service to develop the biblical understanding of giving the Sabbath to God through gathering for and participating in worship. Sabbath includes worship within the household of the faithful to celebrate one’s faith with others, participating in the act of praising God through corporate song, prayer, liturgy, fellowship, and proclamation. Worship is the most important corporate activity of the local church. To worship is to take time to rest and reflect, to actively pull away from life’s distractions, much as one does each day for devotional prayer, and to take intentional time to be in the presence of God within the church setting and with the people of the church. Thought Starters • Ask specific people to share their musical, writing, drama, and other artistic gifts at this service. • Create an art gallery; hang appropriate paintings and banners that people have made in the narthex or sanctuary. • Inspire the high school and middle school age youth and children to work on projects over several weeks to present at this service.

Did you know that Giving has presented a unique giving emphasis in each of its annual magazines for more than a decade? They are filled with creative ways to encourage joyful stewards in your congregation. A limited number of back issues of Giving magazine are available for purchase. To learn more, contact ESC at (855) 278-4372.

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Planning for Sunday Three

Giving to God of Our Spiritual Gifts This week invite people of faith to embrace the unique spiritual gifts that God has entrusted to each of them as a believer. Each person has talents and abilities to be used to bless his or her own life, to bless the lives of others, and to bless the ministry of the church. To bless means to bring joy and to strengthen. Help people realize that each of us is called to discover and use our abilities; God wants us to bless others by serving, volunteering, witnessing, and inviting. And when a task aligns with someone’s God-given ability the result is joy, satisfaction, and a deep feeling of accomplishment. A healthy congregation serves God’s people within and beyond the congregation. These ministries include everything from serving those in need to spreading the good news, beginning with the neighborhood where the congregation is located and moving outward into the world. Healthy congregations recognize that both spiritual formation and mission service are essential to faithful discipleship.

Thought Starters • Pass out information that the service team has compiled that lists opportunities to serve in the local community and the church. • Offer everyone the opportunity to take a spiritual gifts inventory in the weeks prior to this Sunday. • Showcase ministry opportunities available in the church and community that align with specific gifts. • Gather a few members who are especially committed to prayer. Send letters to people on a specific street near your church asking for prayer needs. Include a card to fill out and return to the church, and ask people to include their name and phone number or email address if they want to receive a follow-up call or visit. Promise to pray regularly for the needs. Commit to sending letters to residents on all of the streets near the church by a specific date.

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Abundant Joy, Overflowing Generosity

Planning for Sunday Four

Giving to God of Our Income No giving emphasis worth its salt avoids talking about money. Plan today’s sermon and worship to emphasize the use of money as a core discipline of faith formation. Invite people to learn, understand, and decide how to use money in a God-honoring way. The offering itself is an act of worship, an acknowledgment that all we have is a gift from God, belongs to God, and is to be used with compassion, wisdom, understanding, and obedience. God has blessed us, and we give to bless others and to strengthen the mission and ministry of the church. The tithe was instituted by God as a means to support the priesthood, the religious institution, and purposes related to that religious body, including caring for the poor and destitute. Even though there are disagreements about the exact meaning of “tithe,” it is consistently connected with giving God a portion of what God has first given us. Such offerings are expressions of devotion to God and a means to support the work of the church and create pools of sufficiency for all. By giving a percentage of our income, we provide for the practical financial ministry needs of the church and we provide for the needs of the poor and suffering. This happens as we give to fill the “storehouse”—the church- and faith-based agencies that help provide for people who are poor or in need. Thought Starters • Provide short, well written descriptions of the ministries your congregation supports. Show lots of photos of people doing ministry. Tell stories that show how congregational giving made a difference in individual people’s lives. Better yet, have the people themselves tell their stories. Provide ways for people to contribute to support these ministries. • Pass out the Percentage Living commitment card shown on page 8. Provide a way for people to turn in their completed commitment cards. Have cards returned to the church office or the leadership team to be presented in worship or have members of the congregation turn in their commitment cards during the offering as an expression of worship. • Be sure to send a letter of thanks to people for responding, along with a reminder that there’s still time to do so if they have not responded yet.

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Sample Letter of Invitation Here’s an invitation letter to adapt with information relevant to the givers in your congregation.

Joy Abundant

Overflowing Generosity

—2 Corinthians 8:1-7 (NRSV)

Dear ________________, As faithful stewards of the ministry and mission we share, we continue to seek ways to live generously in Christ. I invite you to join with all the saints at [name of your congregation] on a stewardship journey, as together we explore what it means to live generously. “Giving” stories will be an important part of our journey. Each week we will tell the story of one of the vital ministries God has entrusted to us and show how that ministry demonstrates God’s love and leads to changed lives. Along the way we’ll also reflect on giving stories from the past, as we remember the examples of people who have taught us to be generous; on giving stories from the present, as we share stories related to supporting ministry today; and on giving stories related to the future, as we consider the legacy of giving we would like to leave. These stories of our shared life and witness grow out of God’s love in Christ—the rich ground from which new life arises. During the weeks of our giving journey, out of this rich ground we will “grow” a tree together, filling its branches with leaves that identify saints alive, living generously. On Sunday, [date of celebration Sunday], we will celebrate God’s generosity toward us and honor God’s invitation to bless those who are eager for the good news of Jesus Christ. At that time, we will present our personal commitment cards as an act of worship. Watch for more information as we begin this exciting time of growth and giving together! In Christian fellowship, [stewardship leader’s signature] [stewardship leader’s name and title]

© 2012 Ecumenical Stewardship Center. Produced by and for churches in Canada and the U.S.A. Printed on recycled paper. Printed in the U.S.A.

To order “Abundant Joy, Overflowing Generosity” letterhead, see the “Theme Materials” ad on page 19.

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Abundant Joy, Overflowing Generosity

Sample Commitment Card With a grateful heart for God’s boundless generosity and as an expression of my Christian stewardship, I make this commitment to Christ’s church and the ministry of this congregation. My/our commitment is: $ __________ per week, or $ __________ per month, or $ __________ per year I understand that I may adjust this estimate of giving at any time by contacting the finance secretary.

Joy Abundant

Overflowing Generosity

—2 Corinthians 8:1-7 (NRSV)

Name _______________________________________________ Date ______________ Address _________________________________________________________________ Phone ______________________________ Email address _____________________________________________________ ___ Please contact me/us regarding how to include this congregation in my/our will or estate planning. © 2012 Ecumenical Stewardship Center. Produced by and for churches in Canada and the U.S.A. Printed on recycled paper. Printed in the U.S.A.

To order commitment cards, see the “Theme Materials” ad on page 19.

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