Follow
Your Heart!
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From the Open Files of: |
Eastern North Dakota Resource Center , 701-232-3180 |
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Contributed by: |
Faith Lutheran Church, West Fargo, ND |
FOLLOW YOUR HEART!
Letter to
Members
__________This
file is available in Rich
Text Format version for editing
Brochure for
Members
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file is available in Rich
Text Format version for editing
Faith at Work -
Comments
____This file
is available in Rich
Text Format version for editing
Statement of
Intent
___________This
file is available in Rich
Text Format version for editing
Monthly Giving
Chart
Message from your pastors More than ever before, our turbulent, broken
world needs to hear the Good News of God's love in
Christ. Our church lives to bring light into
darkness and warm hope into confusion and despair.
Thanks for sharing this vital mission, and
partnering with us to make it possible. We are privileged to share this ministry with
you at Faith Lutheran Church. We pray for God's
blessings on you and those you love, that you may
find the spiritual growth you seek here at
Faith. Your pastoral staff Steven Thompson Barbara Pyle Dear faithful member of Faith Lutheran
Church One of our own teen-agers said it better than
most of us. She was one of our youth who made the
trip to Appalachia to participate in a national
teen program to help the very poor. She summed up her experience: This week has
shown me how easy it really is to have God the
focus of your life every day. She reflects God's message at Deuteronomy,
chapter 8, which says in part: When you have
plenty to eat, bless the Lord your God for the good
land he has given you... When you have plenty to
eat and live in fine houses... do not forget the
Lord your God. While you look to serve God, your church looks
to serve you. I hope you will tell us how well your
church serves you by completing the questionnaire
on the back of the enclosed brochure. The Statement of Intent, also enclosed, gives
you and your family opportunity to consider
prayerfully how you will give to God's work. Please
bring this card to church and place with your
offering or return in the enclosed en-velope. We have only one ministry: to serve God in every
moment, wherever we are, whatever we are doing, as
stewards of the gift of life itself. Thank you for
being such a steward. Sincerely, Your friends on the Stewardship Board
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Peter Schmidt
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Many of you say that you are fair share givers. |
Fair share givers know that our church runs on a budget and are willing to contribute to cover that budget. Our forecast for the year 2002 is $636,000. Our number of giving households is 1,211 Therefore it will cost $525 per household to keep our doors open in 2002, with an anticipated increase for 2003. But fair share givers know that some need to give more than equal share to make up for those who may not be able to give. Ability to give should always be a factor. Follow your heart! |
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You may be a faith-based giver - a spiritual giver - one whose motivation is to return to God part of that which comes from God. |
You are the ones who know that giving is a by-product of faith. You understand the concept of first fruits. And you have many disciplined ways to meet your first-fruits goals. Some of you set up a family God account, for church and good works. Others arrange for automatic bank transfers to avoid missing gifts that are so hard to make up. Others simply write a monthly check. Bless you for your spiritual maturity. |
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Some of you tithe, or are inching up to eventually become tithers, giving 10% of your income, to church and charity. |
You already know first hand the truism that if is better to give than to receive. Some of you were taught that tithing, in itself one tenth of your income brings back blessings ten-fold. Others simply find great joy in acting as God's stewards, taking care of His world in multiple ways, giving back in dollars, time, talent and caring. You're on a wonderful faith journey. If tithing isn't for you now, perhaps if is in your future. Follow your head! You may want to begin by inching up! If you want help, call our church office at 282 3309. |
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Some of you are occasional givers. Perhaps, as in the days of Abraham, you bring the fruits of your harvest once a year. |
Our blessings come to us in various ways. And we share them accordingly. It helps if you formally express your intent so that your chuch leaders can be wise in their planning. We want to pay our bills on time without having to borrow, as we sometimes must do. Follow your heart! |
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Other options to make your dollars speak for you
Sharing a Legacy. Receiving an inheritance is a special blessing. Sharing some of it with your church or charity makes it a greater blessing. |
Automatic Bank Transfers Many of you are pleased with your decision to arrange automatic bank transfers. It's painless and failure-proof. And it means that your congregation can pay its bills in a timely fashion. You may call the church office for forms. Giving in this way is truly simple and frees you up from the guilty feeling you get when you fall behind in your giving. |
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Earning as a family project. It can be great fun and a learning project to counter our materialistic world. Selling clothes at a consignment store, holding a garage sale, or finding another project to do together and giving away the proceeds is a true blessing. |
Isn't It a phenomenon? What you give never leaves you feeling poorer. We often hear members say: We give until it feels good. |
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Making a bequest Probably the easiest of all ways to give is leaving a bequest. Everyone needs a will, today more than ever, with blended families becoming more common. If you already have a will, it is a simple and inexpensive process to add a bequest to your church or charity. A new Leave a Legacy project in our area provides great opportunity for this choice. Call the church office if you want more information. |
What If my spouse and I do not agree? Family harmony always comes first. Some couples suggest compromising by increasing giving for one year and evaluating at the end of the year to see if their increased giving had any adverse effects. Others with dual incomes choose to make separate statements of intent. |
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Planned Giving Program You will want to become familiar with the options planned giving provides. You know how we usually say: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't true. The exception is planned giving. It sounds too good to be true and is true. The many options give voice to your dollars while you are alive or after your death. And the fax advantages are huge. Call the church office if you want to know more. |
It's not about how much you give… nor is it about how you give. It's about being an intentional giver rather than a casual giver. |
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Please tell us |
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This appeal is for funds for our day-to-day operations (General Fund). It has no connection to any commitment you may have made to our building funds.
Your church is always there for you through all life's transitions: baptisms
_____________visitation of the sick Do we meet your needs? Are there other things we should be doing? Tell us on the form below. Pray that we can meet everyone's needs.
Mail to: Faith Lutheran Church |
How much shall I give? We're asked that more often than you would believe. It's not a question that we can answer for you. It's a spiritual question. We con tell you what others among you say. Some know that God has called them to give 10% of their income to the Lord's work and are thinking about tithing as an ultimate goal. To that end they set a plan for inching up to tithing by a certain year. Others feel they have reached that state in their lives and expect to begin their spiritual journey of tithing now. Our national church tells us that those people who are intentional givers, who pray about their stated intention give an average of 4.6 % of their income. It's not about how much we give. It's about being intentional givers rather than casual givers. |
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It's about my church being there for me: ____ My church is a satisfactory presence in my life and meets my spiritual needs. ____ I have needs that could be better met. Comments:
Name ___________________________________________________Phone ___________ |
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You followed Your Heart! Your Comments, in turn, were Heart-warming! |
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These were the first six comments we received after our Stewardship Board distributed the yellow Follow Your Heart packets. 1. "For the first time, we sat down together to discuss what we should give to our church. Before now we had always just "put something in the envelope" on the Sundays we came. Now we read the information in our new yellow packet and talked seriously about what we should give. We're happy about our decision, even though it's a real change for us." 2. "I was surprised to see that it costs $525 per household to pay our church expenses. I feel I should try to give that amount, even though I know it will be a stretch, but I think I can do it. It was helpful to have the information in the yellow packet." 3. "We took the information very seriously and prayerfully, but we did not agree on how much we want to give, but I think I know how to work it out." 4. "I'm going through a deep personal crisis right now and I don't know what my income or expenses will be next year. I want to do what's right, but all I can promise to give right now is my love." 5. "I don't think we needed to spend money on a packet." 6. "I've been inching up to tithing and find great joy in it, but I think I should arrange for an automatic monthly bank transfer to keep my gifts timely." |
Thanks to the urging of our Stewardship Board, many of us took a new look at our giving to our church. Be more intentional was their message. It's not so much about how much you give as about being intentional in our giving . . . . giving prayerful thought to our giving as an expression of our Christian faith. Their responses to the first six comments: Comments 1 and 2: We appreciate your candor and your serious commitment to being intentional.., to evaluate the place of Christian giving in your daily lives. Bless you for following your hearts and for understanding the true nature of our appeal for intentional giving. Comment 3. As we stressed in our Follow Your Heart packet, family harmony always comes first. Bless you in your compromise with each other. Comment 4. We didn't quote you very specifically, so that we protect your privacy. We were inspired by your gracious expression. We wish you had identified yourself so that we could reach out to help you in your crisis. Comment 5. Many, many of our members do not need reminders to be good stewards, but others tell us that they need useful information that can help them make a decision about their Christian caring. We want to assure any of you with the same concern about costs, that all the thinking, planning and production was done by volunteers, with no professional costs involved. Carol Hakanson, president of Brokerage Printing, was good enough to get us the materials at a significant discount. We are lucky to have Carol as a member of our church. She gives us a discount on all our printing and provides us with invaluable advice on our communications. Comment 6. Right on! You can still make a Statement of Intent and place it on the offering plate. It's in your yellow packet. |
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This statement of intent is in support of our day-to-day ministry in what we call our General Fund. |
Thank you for being an intentional giver
Your participation will inspire others of us to be more intentional in all of our giving, reflecting our understanding of God's love. You may want to keep this form in your checkbook to remind you of your automatic bank transfer, or to remind you to write your check. Monthly amount: year 2002 $_______ year 2003 $________ |
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Faith Lutheran Church Phone: 282 3309 website: www.growinfaith.org |
This request for your Statement of Intent is
for 2002 and 2003, and is in support of our
day-to-day ministry. Please bring this form to be consecrated and placed on the altar on November 17/18. If you cannot be present please mail it to the address at the left. We will see that it is put on the altar in your name. - your Stewardship Board |
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Statement of Intentional Giving for 2002 and 2003 Name(s)
Phone:______________ e-mail address_________________________ I intend to give $______ per month for 2002 and $_____ per month for 2003 Please send me information about automatic bank transfers____ |
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Some of you are very sincere in asking the question. Nevertheless, we can't give you an answer. It's a spiritual matter in which you measure the relationship between God's goodness to you and your ability to give. For whatever help it is to you, data from our Synod office indicates that persons who prayerfully consider and declare their intent to give contribute an average of 4.6% of their income. |
Christ and stewards of God's mystery. |
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It's not about how much I give... |
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It's about being an intentional giver.
Intentional givers - gratefully consider their daily blessings |
Feel free to follow your heart! |
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The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it. Psalm 24:1
If you want help, call your church office.
a welcoming place
282-3309 www.growinfaith.org |
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