The grace of giving

"Giving, good giving, is also difficult. Most of us spend most of our waking time acquiring assets....True giving is an act of self-liberation. It becomes one of the major achievements of our life. (Henry Drucker)

The giving that sets us free comes from gratitude and thankfulness, from knowing that all we have is a gift from God. That is why St Paul appealed to the church in Corinth to "excel in this grace of giving" (2 Cor 8: 9). The word "grace" is deliberate because it roots our giving in what God has done for us. In fact Paul never once uses the word "money", just grace.

Generous planned giving also sets out churches free from worrying about money. Churches need money so that ministry and mission can happen and the largest part is from planned giving in the congregation. If we want people to give generously we must show that giving changes lives. There is more at stake than paying bills and maintaining buildings.

Giving generously does not just happen and Stewardship can help. Contact Fiona Mearns (020 8502 8585) about booking a Stewardship speaker for a Sunday service, midweek meetings or a chat about running a stewardship initiative in your local church.