Celebration of Mission Shares Paid ... and a Challenge

     With the assistance of a generous gift of $5,000 from the estate of Richard Nelson, and the reduced expenditures for heat and cleaning which have outweighed the reduced giving this year, Peoples has been able to pay $7,500 in mission shares so far this year! This is approximately 40% of what is due to the New England Conference, compared with 6% total paid for 2009 and 8% for 2008.
     The good news is that God has provided us with an unexpected gift this year, enabling the church to pay a much larger percentage of our mission shares than has been possible in recent years with a small church struggling to fund a large building with a full time pastorate and multiple ministries. Thank you God!
     However, the bad news is that regular giving is actually down for 2010. Why is this concerning? Because our giving is directly in proportion to our spiritual wellbeing ... if our giving is down, how is it going with our souls? This is a much greater question than whether the church can fund the budget. After all, God doesn't need our money...it is we who need to give because we are made in the image of God whose heart is one of sacrificial love.
     We ask you to be in prayerful conversation with your family about your current level of giving, and to consider a significant increase in your giving as an act of faith on Commitment Sunday, October 31.