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A Generous
Fellowship
September 23, 2007
We had a very strategic fellowship event last Sunday – not the excellent welcome
lunch for the Hadfields - but an appeal to the congregation at Don Bosco by the
Church Council. And there will be another one this Sunday at Menteng.
It may not seem like a fellowship event, but that is what it is. The Church
Council is asking the fellowship of All Saints regulars to continue to share
together in the ministries of this church. Of course there are many ways to
share. You could help with the Christmas choir, or volunteer to be an Outreach
Project Assistant Coordinator, or teach Sunday School, or be an usher, or join a
small Bible study group.
Not everything we do in our service of Christ is directly related to the church
fellowship. Many of us have significant ministries as Christians outside of
church. But all of us are part of the fellowship of Christ’s church.
And one of the aspects of the sharing in that fellowship is to pay for the costs
of the ministries of the fellowship. In our case these costs are decided by the
Church Council we elect, although most of them are determined by the kind of
fellowship we are. That is, we are a church that meets in buildings we own or
rent, we employ pastors and teachers and ancillary staff to assist us in our
life as a church. A large part of our expenses are related to those regular
costs.
The fellowship events this week and last are strategic because they give each of
us (and especially new members) good information so that we can thoughtfully
decide how the Lord Jesus wants us to share in the ministries at All Saints. We
try not to make vague appeals, or to make people feel guilty. We try to give
accurate information because we want people to give generously and decisively.
That is one reason we ask members to take the information pack home and pray and
consider.
In this particular request from Church Council we have three hopes. One is that
those who have not yet begun to share in the financial support of All Saints
will quickly take a share in this ministry. A second hope is that each of us
will consider increasing the amount we give. A third hope is that the giving
will become more regular – so we are encouraging people to use regular bank
transfers. For those who prefer to give directly in cash we are urging them to
use the envelopes so that their giving can be planned and regular, even if they
miss a Sunday.
And about one thing we are very confident – that the generosity and faith that
has characterised All Saints people over many years will continue to increase.
Dale
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