Читать книгу Practicing Extravagant Generosity - Robert Schnase - Страница 6

WELCOME

Giving helps us become what God wants us to be. Giving is not merely about the church's need for money but about the Christian's need to grow in generosity. Generosity is a fruit of the Spirit, a sign of our spiritual growth. God uses our giving to change the world for God's purposes, and God uses our giving to reconfigure our interior lives and to change us!

Over the next four weeks, you're invited to join in brief daily readings with everyone else in your congregation.* Each reading prepares you; your pastor; and all congregational leaders, members, and guests to understand more clearly the "why" of Christian giving and to develop a common language and theology of generosity. Everyone praying, reading, and reflecting on the same passages fosters a unified sense of purpose and clarity of mission. Your participation with an open heart helps open the doors of your church's future mission. Thank you!

Each reading includes a Scripture verse and a brief devotion. Read thoughtfully, reflecting on your own faith journey and your congregation's ministry. Use the questions to prompt further spiritual exploration about what you think, believe, and do. Close your time with prayer. Feel free to discuss your reflections with others in your household or from the congregation who are reading the same stories for the day, or make note of your thoughts in the journaling space provided at the end of each week.

I pray these weeks may be for you a time of spiritual growth and renewed commitment to the ministry of Christ through your congregation.

Yours in Christ,

Robert Schnase

^* Practicing Extravagant Generosity: Daily Readings on the Grace of Giving has been prepared for use with the congregation-wide stewardship program Extravagant Generosity: The Heart of Giving by Michael Reeves and Jennifer Tyler (Abingdon Press, 2011; UPC 843504019143). While these readings may be used with other stewardship programs, the themes align particularly with topics, strategies, timelines, and media materials of the Extravagant Generosity model.