Harvey First Lutheran has 4 Easy ways to help support our Missions at First Lutheran Church.
1. Send a Check or Drop off at Church First Lutheran Church 1520 Advent St. Harvey, ND 58341 2. Text 2 Give Instructions: A. Send text to 701-401-8636 with Dollar amount in message field. ( 1 equals $1.00, 50 equals $50. etc.) B. You will receive link to tap on & register C. Enter contact and payment Information D. You will receive text receipt E. Future donations: text same number(above) and enter donation amount. Karla will receive notice and record your giving. 3. Give Electronically through your bank. Call Karla at 701-324-2548 and she can get you set up. 4. Vanco - Open your photo page - point at QR Code - fill out information and make a donation. Or download the Vanco App from your phone and set up profile. We hope you enjoy these new way to share your generosity, and we thank you for helping our Missions at Harvey First Lutheran. |
LIVING GENEROUSLY
WHAT DO WE REALLY OWN? “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job 1:21 There is the joke about the nosy neighbor attending a rich woman’s funeral. Peering into the coffin with a friend, he asked, “How much money did she leave?” The friend smiled and replied, “All of it, of course!” As Job laments, we come into the world naked and leave the same way. We may be dressed in our best clothing on our way out, but we take it to the grave, not the afterlife. The joke and Job reveal a basic concept of stewardship: We do not really own anything. We may take possession of it for a period of time, but we eventually leave it for others. Yet we spend so much of our energy and life accumulating more and more – as if we were going to have it forever, as if we were going to live forever. The danger is that absorbed with accumulating wealth, we short change the most valuable of treasures – loving the Lord our God with all our being and loving our neighbors as ourselves. That is why the Bible consistently warns us about wealth. Jesus repeatedly points out the pitfalls. Money and possessions can turn us inward, stunting our growth and preventing us from being the people whom God created us to be. Generosity is the preventative cure for this malady. The Bible counsels that giving away a percent of our income is a good benchmark for faithful giving (although on several occasions, Jesus told his disciples to give away ALL of their possessions). Giving a percentage of our income is a declaration that we are free from the power that money might have over us. However much money that we accumulate in life, we will be like the rich woman in the joke. We will leave it all! (Source: Reverend Robert Blezard, part-time web editor for the Stewardship of Life Institute, and full-time pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Aberdeen, MD |
Gospel Seeds:
Western ND Synod ELCA Inviting Volunteers Western North Dakota Synod Paul N. Marsh, CFRE, GSB Fundraising For more than a decade, church clients have repeated the same challenge to me: volunteers are harder to recruit than ever before. Volunteers are the backbone of any successful congregational ministry. What used to be called the 80/20 Rule (80% of the work is done by 20% of the people) is now 90/10 or worse. So how do you reverse this trend in your church? We have talked in this space about the process to get a financial gift: we inform about what we are raising money for specifically, we inspire by answering the question why this project is so important, we invite a specific gift or gift commitment, and we thank the donor. The process for recruiting a volunteer is the same! Prospective volunteers want to serve, but most are concerned about signing on for an endless term of service, being drawn into unrelated tasks for which they have no interest or ability, and being unsupported. When you address these concerns up front, you will have a far greater chance of success in recruitment. We suggest preparing a one-pager that describes three to five specific tasks of the role, the specific term of service (usually one year except for council members), and email and phone numbers for leaders who will respond to questions or problems which may arise. Also nice to have are some quotes from those who have served in that role in the past, describing how meaningful the role was to them. Finally, plan an exhaustive annual volunteer orientation and training program. When you begin implementing this plan for recruitment, you will see an increase in dedicated volunteers. WESTERN ND SYNOD PRESENTS YOU ARE WITNESSES OF THESE THINGS Book Read & Coaching Series Continue the journey of sharing the Good News of Jesus! Western ND Synod coaches will lead a 4-session series building off Bishop Satterlee’s book and workshop. Each session will provide a venue to explore what it means to be a witness and practice sharing your Good News story of Jesus. Perfect both for those who attended the workshop and those who were unable to attend who want to craft their stories. Participants should purchase a copy of the book before October 18. Dates: October 18 & 25 November 1 & 8 Time: 11 am Central 10 am Mountain Register at: http://bit.ly/wndwitnesses COST: FREE EVENT |