Why We Give
Why we give
We believe that God is the giver of all good things. As we strive to grow in faith, serve God and love all people, we are blessed to give. We give a portion of all that God first gave us intentionally, generously and joyfully. By doing this, we help transform lives and build God’s Kingdom here on earth.
We invest in changing lives
At St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, God has richly blessed us. Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:21) We believe our financial giving tangibly demonstrates our love for God and our neighbors. Embracing a spiritual covenant of generosity for God’s work is a form of worship as well.
Our giving is transformational, for both recipient and giver. It allows us to partner in changing lives for Christ, both close to home and far away, through:
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· Worship · Christian education · Bible studies · Small groups · Youth groups |
· Confirmation and Vacation Bible School · Support groups · Counseling · Community service · Mission work … and more |
Faithful disciples are generous disciples
We believe generous giving is an act of faith and trust in a radically generous God. We also believe that generous giving is a prayerful decision between the giver and God.
So what is generous giving? As a church, generous giving means sharing a portion of what God has already given us for Kingdom work. We encourage each person to commit a percentage of their income and increase that amount as they are able. For some, it means tithing (or giving 10% of our income). For others, it means a slightly lower or higher percentage. Like the Holy Spirit, generosity is dynamic, not static. In generous giving, the important thing is to begin the spiritual discipline of regular, consistent giving.
Whatever the amount we choose to give at this time, may we discover the joy and empowerment of being able to give back to God a portion of God’s blessing to us.
Corporate stewardship and financial reporting
As a church, St. Paul’s values personal and corporate stewardship as well as financial transparency. That’s why we make our annual budgets and quarterly financial reports available to the public.