Stewardship Sunday is November 11th, 2018
Dear Friends,
The ministry of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Chico is all about reaching out to our community and world with the good news that God is reconciling the world through Christ. We accomplish this through the Spirit-led use of our time, energy and resources.
Recently the Lake Institute on Faith and giving released these statistics –
Congregations that include a stewardship moment every Sunday in worship have 20% more giving than those which don't. In 1978, 53% of all charitable giving was to faith communities. Now it is 32%. In 1995 there were 86,000 registered non-profit charities; now there are 227,000 (which partly accounts for the previous statistic!) Churches who present offering time as an act of worship are finding an increase in giving. Congregations that are more outward-focused that inward-focused are more generous. Here at First Christian Church, we encourage people to worship through the giving of time, talent and resources so that we can reach people in ways that other charitable organizations cannot.
77% of all adults use at least one social media platform. Studies show that in general when Millennials visit church or non-profit websites -- 1.) 90% go immediately to the mission/purpose page; 2.) search for concrete stories about how the organization changes lives; 3.) determine if they can financially support the organization through an easy online donation process. 60% of all donors 65 and younger give online; 59% of those 66 and older give online. 50% of those 65 and older prefer to give online, while 75% of those ages 20-35 prefer online giving. 74% of Americans say they write no more than one check/month. Our church offers online giving as an option and many take advantage of it. Of course we still take checks and any other form of currency too, but all of it is used for the kind of Spirit-led ministry that seeks to transform lives and hearts through God’s grace.
Having had a special Bible as a child increases a person’s giving to the church an average of $221/year; reading the Bible daily increases giving by an average of $545; praying every day increases giving to the church by an average of $211; doing volunteer work increases one’s giving to a church by $528/year. When we build our lives on a foundation of faith, we are less likely to live our lives with an attitude of scarcity and more likely to live life with an attitude of abundance and a willingness to be led by the Spirit.
If you’ve never done so, please consider filling out the enclosed estimate of giving card for 2019. If you have in the past, please consider stepping out on faith to increase the amount of time, talent and resources you give to the church. Filling out these cards helps us set the budget for the year so we can continue our welcoming and transformative ministry to this community and the world.
The ministry of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Chico is all about reaching out to our community and world with the good news that God is reconciling the world through Christ. We accomplish this through the Spirit-led use of our time, energy and resources.
Recently the Lake Institute on Faith and giving released these statistics –
Congregations that include a stewardship moment every Sunday in worship have 20% more giving than those which don't. In 1978, 53% of all charitable giving was to faith communities. Now it is 32%. In 1995 there were 86,000 registered non-profit charities; now there are 227,000 (which partly accounts for the previous statistic!) Churches who present offering time as an act of worship are finding an increase in giving. Congregations that are more outward-focused that inward-focused are more generous. Here at First Christian Church, we encourage people to worship through the giving of time, talent and resources so that we can reach people in ways that other charitable organizations cannot.
77% of all adults use at least one social media platform. Studies show that in general when Millennials visit church or non-profit websites -- 1.) 90% go immediately to the mission/purpose page; 2.) search for concrete stories about how the organization changes lives; 3.) determine if they can financially support the organization through an easy online donation process. 60% of all donors 65 and younger give online; 59% of those 66 and older give online. 50% of those 65 and older prefer to give online, while 75% of those ages 20-35 prefer online giving. 74% of Americans say they write no more than one check/month. Our church offers online giving as an option and many take advantage of it. Of course we still take checks and any other form of currency too, but all of it is used for the kind of Spirit-led ministry that seeks to transform lives and hearts through God’s grace.
Having had a special Bible as a child increases a person’s giving to the church an average of $221/year; reading the Bible daily increases giving by an average of $545; praying every day increases giving to the church by an average of $211; doing volunteer work increases one’s giving to a church by $528/year. When we build our lives on a foundation of faith, we are less likely to live our lives with an attitude of scarcity and more likely to live life with an attitude of abundance and a willingness to be led by the Spirit.
If you’ve never done so, please consider filling out the enclosed estimate of giving card for 2019. If you have in the past, please consider stepping out on faith to increase the amount of time, talent and resources you give to the church. Filling out these cards helps us set the budget for the year so we can continue our welcoming and transformative ministry to this community and the world.
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Marie Henry
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Jesse Kearns
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Gary Cantwell
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