We care more about you than your money…
The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written,
He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.
You’ve probably heard us say that a lot. You’ve heard us say not to give under compulsion. And you’ve also heard us say that you should give and give generously. These are not in contradiction.
The Bible says a lot about our finances and how we should treat money. It says we should give “cheerfully”. For me this means that since God has given me so much (after all, compared to the rest of the world we are the 1%) that I naturally want to give some back. It’s just like when I get home and Kim has made me an awesome steak dinner, I naturally give her a big hug in appreciation.
It also says we should give as a priority. This means we shouldn’t give what’s left over (who wants leftovers that are still sitting out from last night’s buffet?). Instead we should give to God first. The Bible says first and best. So instead of just looking in our wallet and pulling something out, we should seek His will and “decide in our hearts” how much we should give, and then trust God with the rest. This is a tangible way to demonstrate our trust in God.
Finally, the Bible says we are to give based on a percentage of our income or “in keeping with your income” (1 Corinthians 16:2). Now I know that this can be tough for some people. Trust me when I say that this can be difficult. Suffice it to say here that the Bible talks about giving 10% and also says to be generous. I was challenged many years ago by a family that increased their percentage giving every year. My understanding is that they are now well on their way to “reverse tithing” which means to give 90% and live off the remaining 10%. Rick Warren does this. When his book, The Purpose Driven Life, became a best seller he gave his entire salary of 25 years back to his church and continued to live in his old house and drive his old Ford pick-up truck so that he could live off 10% and give 90% to God’s.
What about me personally? Well, I don’t reverse tithe… but Kim and I do give a percentage as a priority. For convenience sake, we do this online through bank. It demonstrates the priority we place on giving since it comes out automatically and is calculated as a percentage of my fixed income. Since Kim’s part-time pay changes from month to month we calculate an additional gift every month and also send that through our bank. Online giving is very convenient for us so we don’t have to remember to bring a check on Sundays. It just happens. I have a friend who gives with priority by not depositing any check she receives until she has calculated the percent she has decided to give and has written that check to the church. Giving as a percent or as a priority may look different for every one of you.
I’m frequently asked about how people should give to New Life. That’s really up to you, but here are two quick tips. First, if you would like a tax receipt at the end of the year be sure to give in a way that we can track; like with a check, or by giving through CCB. Secondly, we encourage you to give through CCB or by setting up some other automatic method of payment such as bill pay through your bank. Here’s what you need to get started:
- Use your own online banking system.
Have your bank send a check to:
New Life Christian Church
PO Box 403
Centreville, VA 20122
If they require a phone number, use 703-222-8836. Giving this way maximizes your donation since there are typically no fees. If you wish to designate your gift to TBC or another specific fund, please include that as either the memo or “account number” depending on what your bank allows.
- Donate using Church Community Builder (CCB).
You can also setup recurring payments through CCB. If you don’t have an account, don’t worry. Just click here to get started. You can also give a one time gift this way as well.
Regardless of which donation method you choose, you can track all your donations to New Life (we are a 501(c)(3) charitable religious organization) through CCB.
Thanks for your contributions. It’s only through your generosity we are able to accomplish the work God has for us. We take our roles as stewards very seriously and continually work to keep costs low so that we can do as much as possible to bring God into our community.
-pat