Sep 26, 2018 Words of Grace – Thanksgiving for Future Grace
With great thanksgiving I am happy to announce that this week our congregation gave and pledged 2.8 million dollars toward the Future Grace Giving Campaign. We can all be grateful for the way God has worked among us and provided needed funds for future ministry. The Sunday night singing and testimony time was a great ending to the past month.
How should we process the giving campaign? What does this amount mean for the future building expansion?
First, the Future Grace giving represents an amazing generosity and sacrificial spirit on the part of our congregation. Grace is a giving congregation. This year, our giving to the regular offering will be approximately $2.5 million. That means that in the upcoming three-year giving campaign season we will give $7.5 million to the regular offering, along with the $2.8 million to Future Grace, totaling $10.3 million. For a congregation our size, this is amazing!
From the regular offering, we will give 10% ($750,000) to local and global missions over the next three years. We should all have great joy in knowing that we are giving to spread the gospel and build spiritually healthy people for ministry in the world.
Second, the $2.8 million to Future Grace, along with our current savings, gives us approximately $3.5 million for building expansion. What a great resource. We have decisions to make over the next several weeks related to how we move forward with building expansion. This money will help reduce the amount we need to borrow.
Third, the giving campaign was a time for growth in our discipleship and in our commitment to the local church. Any time we engage in a process of prayer and decision-making like this we benefit.
As I think about our congregation’s strong affirmation of this building project, and the generous and sacrificial giving to fund it, I am encouraged by the commitment we are expressing to be a local church that brings glory to God and grace to people for generations to come.
There are 10,000 reasons for our hearts to sing!
I look forward to seeing you Sunday in the building the Lord has given us to worship him.
-Scott