Pass It On

What does Generosity of Spirit mean? The theme verse this year for our Stewardship Campaign was “The world of the generous gets larger and larger” Proverbs 11:24 (The Message). To me, generosity of spirit is about passing it on to others – those in your family, those in your church, and those in your community.

Who taught you to be generous with your time? My family is blessed to have my parents as members of this church. They have been active here since the church began. We have watched them volunteer as ushers and greeters on Sunday mornings, help with mailings during the week as well as support the Care team. In the early days of the church (before I came on staff and did it for a living), my husband Steve and I served on various teams throughout the church (Finance Team and Building Team), volunteered for Vacation Bible Camp (me not him), and mission trips (then and now). I say this not to impress but to show that while we loved doing all these things, at the same time we were teaching our children how to be involved in the community we call Stonebridge UMC and beyond. It was important to us to serve the Lord and at the same time teach our children the values of being generous with our time.

Who taught you to be generous with your money? Each week I watched as my parents set the example both growing up and here at Stonebridge UMC supporting the church with their finances. We give to the church through payroll deduction and through a monthly check to the church. We talked to our children as they were growing up about the importance of giving. Each year as the Stewardship Campaign kicked off, Steve and I would discuss what our family would do to try to increase our gift to the church to work towards reaching a tithe.

Who are you teaching about weekly worship and fellowship with others in the church family? Sunday mornings at 8:15, Mom and Dad are here (and if they are not I get a little worried) setting the example that worship is important. When our kids were growing up we were at church every Sunday usually sitting on the front row (yes they could be distracting but they learned how to behave in church) after Sunday school. Now the boys are in college and attend when they are home, and our daughter is married living in Dallas where she and her husband have found a new church home where they attend weekly. I believe that the lessons they learned at Stonebridge UMC from the many people that touched their lives have helped them become the adults they are today.

In your Stewardship Campaign packet, there was a Personal Goals and Commitment card. Take a moment and go back and fill it out with your family. Think about how you can pass on your generous spirit to the next generation so that we continue to spread the message of the love of Jesus Christ to the world.

(Now on a Finance Ministry Team note: We have approved a budget for 2010 of $1.95M which is the same budget that was set for 2009. To date we have received 225 pledge cards. If you have not had an opportunity to turn in your card, please bring it to church on Sunday or drop it in the mail.)


Peace,
Cindy MorelandExecutive Director