By virtue of creation, and by re-creation in Holy Baptism, we belong to the Lord (Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 43:1-31; Romans 6:1-12; 2Corinthians 5:14-17; Ephesians 2:8-10) ! We can remind each other every day that we are His new creation! The Lord is the Source of all our stewardship which included all areas of our lives!
We have been entrusted with life and life's resources, and have been given the privilege of responsibly and joyfully managing them to His glory (Psalm 24:1; Psalm 89:11; 1 Chronicles 29:1-20; 2 Corinthians 8:1-7; Luke 12:41-48; 1 Timothy 6:17-19) ! We get to encourage one another in proper management of His gifts and promote cheerful, Biblical stewardship in all of life.
We get to rejoice in and live out of what the Lord has declared us to be through the cross -- saints! As His dear saints, we get to recognize the habits of the old nature and fight against them and their consequences daily (Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:15-17; Romans 7:21-25; 1 John 3:1-2; 1 Peter 2:9-10). We get to promote pure Christian love and not appeal to people's selfish interests.
We get to realize that our lives of stewardship are personal responses to God, lived out within the community of faith to benefit the whole world (Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; 1 Peter 4:10; 2 Corinthians 8:13-14; Galatians 6:7-10) ! Each of us have unique gifts form God through which we can honor Him and bless others as members of the very Body of Christ! We can even embrace accountability from our dear brothers and sisters in Christ who care about our life, our gifts and our calling.
We get to recognize that our stewardship involves a Gospel-motivated way to live that is demonstrated in servanthood in all areas of life (Philippians 2:5-8; Matthew 20:26b-28; Matthew 25:31-46; John 13: 3-5, 15-17) ! We get to live in the pattern of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who chose not to be served but to serve. We can adopt this pattern in our relationships with others as we serve them through acts of compassion, service, and even financial gifts.
We get to live intensionally in the light of the Lord's eternal purpose while being firmly committed to His eternal work in His Church in the here and now (Matthew 6:19-21; 1 Timothy 6:17-19; Philippians 3:12-14,20; 2 Peter 3:11-12a; Revelation 14:13) ! We can rejoice in the fact that what the Lord does through us can have benefits for others both now and into the future.
OUR 2024-2026 MISSION EMPHASIS
Motivated by the boundless power of God's grace alone, trusting Christ alone, and walking by faith alone, this is the goal of the 'In Christ For ALL' emphasis. This will help us to accentuate the work that God is already doing in our midst, help us to prepare for future ministry, and also provide for future space to bring Christ to the people around us.
1) Expand the Lords's House! FOCUS -- Enlarge the Church (Target Percentage 90%)
These resources would be set aside for an expansion of our building.
2) Send the Laborers! FOCUS -- Equip New Congregations (Target Percentage 5%)
This would help us to further God's Kingdom through the support of our church-plant congregations and other Word & Sacrament ministries.
3) Train Faithful Servants! FOCUS -- The Scholarship Fund (Target Percentage 5%)
One of the great things that God is doing in this congregation is raising up many future Confessional Lutheran leaders. These funds would help with the education costs for these faithful servants.
4) Bonus Goal! FOCUS -- Investigate Starting a School (One-Time Gift)
For a one-time gift of $2,000, Living Faith would be able to investigate the starting of a school to see if it is possible through the Genesis Project.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
1. First understand that God owns everything (Psalm 24:1). As His people, this is not a "have to", this is a "get to".
2. Understand that this pledge is an additional sacrificial offering unto the Lord and should not take away from you weekly offering (your thank offering to the Lord).
3. Decide how you want to give. There are a variety of ways to give: A. A love offering (a one-time gift amount to help jumpstart the 'In Christ for All' emphasis. B. 3-Year Pledge (to give an additional weekly offering to the Lord for 3 yrs).
To do the 3-Year Pledge, write out your offering check with the Mission Emphasis pledge added in. Then on the Memo Line write "Offering $____ + In Christ For All $____". This way you only have to write one check and the Treasurer will know how to allocate your gift for the Lord's use. To give electronically, please do so on the Giving tab.
The 'In Christ for All' Mission Emphasis has begun officially on January 7, 2024.
