Double or Start
Friends, your ongoing financial support of the ministry at Christ Church St Ives is contributing to the incredible work of seeing people come to know and love Jesus.
At Parish Council this month Elliot reported on the great news that many people have become Christians this year. At Share Life Mondays this week, more than 60 people gathered to look at the heart of Jesus. It is super exciting to see that God is bringing people to know and love him in our midst.
The other significant note at Parish Council was that we are on a trajectory towards being $150,000 behind in general giving for 2024.
We flagged this trajectory earlier in the year but now is the time for action. So today I am inviting you to, ‘Double or Start’. Essentially, at our current average monthly rate of giving, to meet our budget for 2024, we need an extra month’s giving from everyone.
So, in October, November or December would you be able to double your giving in order to help us bridge the gap?
We recognise that life gets busy and the best of intentions are hard to follow through on. Perhaps one such intention is starting to give to church. Now would be a great time to start. We do rely almost entirely on the generosity of our members to fund the work of the gospel month by month. The Scriptures urge us to be good stewards of the gifts God has given us, including the money we earn. So, I encourage you to consider how you can partner in the work of the gospel in and with our church.
Just as Jesus honours the widow’s mite, so we want to honour those who start giving what they are able - for you that might be $5 a week. In the work of the gospel, every contribution is invaluable.
Please be assured that the wardens have been working to maximise revenue from various property sources and to reduce expenses. We have also been working on the 2025 budget for several months and are working towards a budget that pursues expense restraint.
With all this in mind, let me encourage you with the words of Paul from 2 Corinthians 8:7. He writes here describing the church in Corinth but I think it’s a pretty good description of our church too - and as he writes he gives them a challenge - a challenge we need to hear now too.
“But since you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you – see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” (2 Corinthians 8:7)
Let us excel in the grace of giving, supporting the work of building wholehearted disciples, seeing more and more people come to know and love Jesus.
For more information about how to give you can head to our Giving Page.
If you have any questions about our finances, current decisions, plans or any other matters regarding our governance, please do not hesitate to contact the Wardens: Ross Bowden, James Clifton or William Hood (wardens@christchurch.com.au) or me (nigel@christchurch.com.au).
Over all this, please be assured of my prayers for you and your financial decisions throughout this year and thank you for your generosity. Thanks for your partnership in the gospel as we seek to build wholehearted disciples of Jesus.
