News
The Rev. Coletta Eichenberger continues her service as our Interim Pastor. She brings a wealth of interim experience to Grace UCC and provides support as we pursue the process of discovery and the search for a full time permanent pastor for our congregation. Click here for her biography.
Grace Cares Team training announcement - click here for details.
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STEWARDSHIP – What can we do in 2012 ?
by Roger Miyasaka
The stewardship articles in the newsletter during the last 3 months was to establish a foundation for thinking more about what it means to be a steward of our gifts. How does your life fit into the framework of stewardship?
Alan Hamilton, in his book called “Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity”, says:
- “We are created to care for God’s creation. We were created to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves. We were created to care for our families and those in need. We were created to glorify God, to seek justice, and to do mercy. To be Christian is to follow Jesus Christ and to seek to do his will in our lives. It is to say, “Here I am, all of me. I’m yours. Put me to work, help me to serve, use me to accomplish your work.”
- Now, if this is our life purpose, then our money and possessions should be devoted to helping us fulfill this calling. We are to use our resources to help care for our families and others – to serve Christ and the world through the church, missions, and everyday opportunities. We are blessed to be a blessing”
Congregations thrive because of the extraordinary sharing,
willing sacrifice, and joyous giving of their members out of love for
God and neighbor. Such churches teach and practice giving that focuses
on the abundance of God’s grace and that emphasizes the Christian’s need
to give rather than on the church’s need for money. Generous
congregations talk about the place of money in the Christian’s walk of
faith. They view giving as a gift from God and are driven to be generous
by the high sense of mission and a keen desire to please God by making a
positive difference in the world they live in. The notion that giving
rightly focuses on our need to give rather than on the church’s need to
receive is not a money-making strategy, but a spiritually powerful
truth.
Let each of us look to the next year and see what more we can contribute to the life at Grace Church, both physically and financially to grow the mission and ministry of the church. All of us are experiencing difficult times, including the church. Let us take time to think how best we can commit to use our gifts and talents to serve others as well as the church.