Mission/Stewardship

First Church of Christ, Bethany Giving Calendar
2008

For October 26

Today marks the beginning of our 2009 Stewardship Campaign and over the next 4 weeks the M&S Committee will be presenting you with a short talk each Sunday. This will be followed by our In-Gathering Sunday on Nov 16th. The theme for this year is "Owning My Faith". Our short talks are intended to provoke your thoughts about your individual faith and, your actions - also known as your response - on each of these topics. Our goal is to have you prayerfully consider each of these topics - to challenge yourself - to understand what your response is today - and to understand what you desire your response to be.

Today our topic is "My Faith and My Prayers"
Week 2: "My Faith and My Talents"
Week 3: "My Faith and My Presence"
Week 4: "My Faith and My Response"

Week 1: My Faith and My Prayers

On today's topic, "My Faith and My Prayers", let's think about our prayer life.
Do you have a prayer goal?
Do you have a dedicated time each day that you pray? Or maybe each week?
Or, maybe for some of us, it is 'when the mood or situation strikes us'.

I believe we are all familiar with the importance of prayer to Jesus Christ while he was here on earth. The New Testament is full of examples of Jesus' praying. So here we have the Son of God who fervently prays. What example does this give to us - mere humans - and the importance of prayer?

Exploring this from another angle, what relationship do you see between your faith and your prayer life? Do they compliment and support each other? Do you pray for your faith?
Because each of us is individually responsible for our own faith and the journey in our faith, then we are also responsible for our own prayer life. If we claim to have a strong faith in God and Jesus Christ, can we also say that we have a strong prayer life?
I'll be the first to admit that my prayer life is not where I want it to be.

As we begin our journey into our 2009 Stewardship Campaign, the M&S Comm. would like to challenge you to set a prayer goal - to "pledge" a prayer goal if you will - to commit to a prayer goal. Set yourself a goal that you can achieve and at the same time will challenge you. Now some of you may be thinking, "Are they going to ask me to write down my prayer commitment and then collect it?" Well, that is a thought! This commitment, however, is between you and God.

As we proceed through this church's 2009 Stewardship Campaign, the M&S Comm. invites you to explore with us in "Owning Our Faith" and what that means with our individual responses and commitments in several different areas of our faiths.

Thank you

For Nov 2

Week 2 My Faith and My Talents
Our faith is personal but not an individual state. Those who first followed Jesus were not isolated individuals but members of a group of disciples. We as individuals are part of the larger church. We only grow to who we are in relationship with others. Without each other, we are lost. This is forgotten amid talk of personal faith as though this were an individual affair. We find our identity as part of a world larger than ourselves.

So too with giving. This is a personal decision that is more than an individual matter. It shows and confirms our connection with each other. Giving gives us an experience of God and one another, a chance to connect with something larger and the discovery that in giving we receive more than we thought possible.

What to give? What can we share with one another? What gifts can we offer?

Our covenant says we will share our "time, talent and resources" with one another. This stewardship year, we will ask you to make a pledge of your time and talents in addition to your resources. In the same way we look for a specific financial commitment, we are looking for a specific time or talent commitment such as ushering on ten Sundays or chaperoning three youth events.

We have added to the pledge card an area for you to commit to specific events or talents. Feel free to write in others. Write in many! Write in things you have never tried.

Please share your time and your talent with the congregation.

For Nov 9

Week 3 My Faith and My Presence

    When I selected to talk of "My Faith and My Presence" I did so because of my daughter Lisette, who is now a freshman at Connecticut College. She had to write an essay as part of her application for early admission. Her essay had to do with our Church, and reading it as her father, I learned what worship meant to my 17 year old daughter. I believe Lisette captured the essence of our worship here at The First Church of Christ, Bethany.
    I would like to share an excerpt of her essay. I would encourage you to reflect on the meaning of the concept of presence as you listen to her interpretation of how present she feels to her Faith as a young member of our church.
    Quoting Lisette, "I have never been in the sanctuary alone, but outside of church when I need a moment of peace, this is how I imagine myself: I am seated in the second row of the balcony, in a spot where the minister would have to lift her head up and to the left to find me. I am halfway from the door to the pulpit, and if I look to my left, I see the organ with its ceaseless array of pipes.
    This is the shell of the church, the physical structure as it stands. I don't need a pastor, but she is my guide. I don't need a congregation, but they are my family. I don't need my family to worship with me, but they are my comfort. I don't need the Bible, but it is my proof. I don't need the cross around my neck, but it is my reminder. I don't need the church building, but it is my sanctuary. I don't need God to answer my prayers, but I need Him to listen." End Quote.
    In closing I believe we come together to worship not because we have to, as we can pray alone. We come together to worship because of our common beliefs, and because sharing our worship together gives us comfort, gives us strength, and gives us a perspective when we need it most.

Thank you

For Nov 16

Week 4 My Faith through My Response

Pledging money directly enables our Church to pay its bills so it can continue to deliver Christ's message each week. It also determines what programs can be funded for the next year.

We give to support our Church but also as a response to God's grace in our lives. By offering our gifts, we are thanking God for the blessings we have received. We also give as a response to our faith in God's power and promise for the world - for what he has done, is doing, and will do for us and the whole world in the coming days.

During our Time, Talent and Resources Pledge drive, we ask that you take the time during the next week to prayerfully consider the amount you can give this year and ask God for guidance when filling out your pledge form. Thank you.

May our giving glorify God.

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