Giving Update | November 2023
A Season of Thanksgiving
Thank you for your faithful giving and generosity towards our mission as a local church. The simple answer to how our local mission is funded is that God’s people generously give to make that ministry possible. So, again, thank you!
Giving in the Christian perspective isn’t to be done under compulsion or manipulation. Instead, it is to be done joyfully and freely (2 Cor. 9:7). This means that we should understand giving as an act of worship. That is, we give not to earn God’s love, favor, or approval but instead as an offering of praise and thanksgiving because it is God who first provided for us. Simply, when we give, we offer right praise to God, both acknowledging his rightful position as Lord and as a good Father who provides. We participate in this action of praise when we give of our time, talents, and treasure. How? In our time, we acknowledge that the Lord appoints and orders our days. In our talents, we acknowledge that the Lord has gifted and equipped us to serve. And in our treasure, we acknowledge that God is the one who provides for our daily needs.
As we come to the end of the calendar year, we will increasingly have opportunities to engage in worship through giving. We will be invited to give of our time and utilize our talents to bless others. And we will thoughtfully give of our finances to invest in the lives of others. As we approach this moment, let us prayerfully ask, what is my next intentional step in being radically generous with my time, talents, and treasure?
Again, thank you for your generosity to our church and its mission. We are able to introduce kids to the gospel through Upward, invest in the Kingdom through our Global Partners, and build goodwill with our city through the Plex, all because of your faithful giving. A fun number: in the last year alone, we have had over 100k people in our building for different ministry and community events! That is a lot of foot traffic and missional opportunity!
If you are looking to give in a difference-making way, we have three funds that you can give to:
1. Annual Budget: This is the fund that supports all of our local church ministry, Upward, staffing, utilities, serving the community through the Plex, etc.
2. Unleashed 320: This is the fund that pays our mortgage. Currently, we have just over $200,000 remaining before we are debt-free. An amazing testimony of generosity and faithfulness! Let’s retire this debt and seek the Lord in what’s next for our church.
3. Caring Fund: This is the fund that goes directly to help with rent and utility assistance for our local neighbors. We are a first-call resource for the City of Ames when they have anyone looking for timely help in this area.
Let’s continue to be generous with our time, talents, and treasure because God was first generous to us! ccames.org/give.