“Where your treasure is, your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:21
Generosity and the Heart
If we were asked to summarize the heart of the good news in a single verse of scripture, most of us would probably turn to John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” John tells us that at the heart of who God is there is a love that is so extravagant that it results in God generously giving his Son to redeem and save us. God’s generosity towards us is linked to God’s deep and passionate love for you.
The same could be said of us. Our generosity in life speaks volumes about what we most love. As Jesus put it, “where your treasure is, your heart will be also.” It’s funny the way he puts it: our hearts and our love go where our treasures go. So, our generosity tells us a lot about the things we really love deep down.
Who Are You Becoming?
As you think about your life and important spiritual question to ask is, what kind of person are you becoming? A kinder person? More generous? More loving? It’s a good question to ask from time to time because who we are—our character—results from the choices and decisions we’ve made throughout our lives. If you want to be kinder or more faithful, you have to choose it. If you want to be more generous, you have to choose it.
At the end of the day, this is really why we ask you to give generously to the work of First United Methodist Church. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” The invitation to generosity is an invitation to choose to love God passionately and faithfully, responding to the extravagant love God has already shown to us.
Opportunities and Challenges in 2022
To say that the last two years have been a challenge would be an understatement. Thank you for remaining faithful and generous, and hanging in there with us. Though giving to our operating budget has been down, our expenses have been significantly lower, with no significant impact to our overall financial health. As we look beyond the pandemic, without increases to giving, a full year of ministry as we had in 2019 would result in significant shortfalls. And, we don’t just want to do ministry as we did before! There are new ministry opportunities before us. One that’s particularly exciting is the possibility of being part of Room in the Inn, hosting homeless persons in our facility through the winter months, fulfilling Jesus’ commands in Matthew 25. And there are new ideas on the horizon for children, youth and adults. Now isn’t the time to cut ministry!
Thank You for Giving Generously
We're asking everyone to consider how they might increase their gift to our church in 2022, not only to help us meet the challenges and opportunities before our church, but also as a spiritual decision we make together to become more generous and loving followers of Christ.
You’ll find an estimate of giving card enclosed. Please fill it out and return it to the church, or go online to fumcbelmont.org/heartoflove to complete an online version. Again this year, you can give electronically through automatic withdraws by credit/debit card. There is a video tutorial on our website to guide you. And, plan to join us in worship on November 21 as we celebrate our commitments and consecrate them to God in worship together.
Click here to complete your 2022 Estimate of Giving Card and submit it to our Business Office.
Click here for a short tutorial on Electronic Giving.