Originally published in the March 26, 2009 issue of The Evangel.
by Mark Brown, Stewardship Committee chair
In today's economic climate, there is plenty of financial and emotional stress to go around. No one is immune from blows to their retirement accounts, investments, or careers. Some families are asking "what if" questions today, trying to determine how they might survive even worse downturns to their own personal balance sheets. Others, oddly enough, are planning for better times ahead, using job transitions and what some view as setbacks to switch gears in mid-career, try something new, and enjoy more time with family. Both views are real for our congregation.
My simple questions to you as an FBC member, whatever your current circumstances, are these: Are you being faithful to God's call in your life...to God, your family, and your church? Have you taken care of your "four walls" (food, clothing, shelter/utilities, transportation)? Have you given cheerfully of your time, talents, and treasure (T3!) to our church and its ministries?
As a church we've also experienced some financial setbacks early in the year and our congregation has rallied to our leadership's call for giving sacrificially the past couple weeks. Please make consistent T3! giving a priority in your Christian life if you haven't already, helping our church thrive and reach others for Christ! Our operational budget includes support for our staff, property maintenance, education programs, music ministry, and missions ministries in the United States and around the world.
Are you/your family praying more for our church leadership and its ministries today than you were a month ago? Have you prayed for someone who's currently looking for a job? God honors our hearts and our example. My wife Rachel, son Andrew, and daughter Kaitlyn and I have found ourselves more consistently on our knees in prayer these past few weeks than at any other time. At the same time we're excited about what God is doing this spring, bringing new ministers and outreach opportunities through Building Bridges!
