Category Archives: giving
10 Stops
Every weekend we gather together at church. That is great, but we can easily forget why we go to church and what the church is trying to accomplish. Churches can easily lose sight of their vision and purpose of engaging people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. This last weekend we were reminded of our calling to gather as the people of God so that we can experience new life through Jesus Christ. But what about the church itself? What is it trying to accomplish? Read again this week Matthew 28:19-20. We are reminded that the church is designed to “make disciples.” Disciples or followers of Jesus are “made” which means there is intentionality and it does not happen by chance. There is a process that we go through and steps to be taken as we grow in our relationship with Jesus.
George Barna in the book “Maximum Faith” describes 10 Stops Christians experience on their journey to spiritual maturity. When we go on the ultimate adventure of growing up in Christ and experiencing the fullness that God has planned for us, we discover that there are stops on the journey to wholeness. When we are aware of these stops and recognize them as a part of the process toward maturity, the stops don’t paralyze us but we see them as a normal part of the process of growth. Look them over and take a self assessment of where you are. Pray and ask God to help you break through this next year to continue to grow in your faith.
10 Stops
1. Ignorance of the concept or existence of God
2. Aware of and indifferent to sin
3. Concerned about the implications of personal sin
4. Confess sins and ask Jesus Christ to be their Savior
5. Commitment to faith activities
6. Experience a prolonged period of spiritual discontent
7. Experiencing personal brokenness
8. Choosing to surrender and submit fully to God: Radical Dependence
9. Enjoying a profound intimacy with and love for God
10. Experiencing a profound compassion and love for humanity
5 Reasons Why People Give
This is Casey Graham from Gving Rocket as he explains the 5 reasons people give. Great insights to help us at New Vintage Church see that giving is broader than just doing an offering. Let me know what you think.
Funding Your Church
Great insights by Carey Nieuwhof from Connexus Church in Toronto, Canada. He is a strategic partner from NorthPoint Church in Atlanta, GA and he talks about the 5 things he has learned about creating a culture of giving.
Financial Update
Dear NVC Family,I am overwhelmed. I am overjoyed. I am thankful for you, New Vintage Church.Together, WE have begun to take responsibility for OUR church. In just under three weeks we have met our short-fall from the past three months of $30,000. We have had some very generous, large donations, and many smaller ones as well that all helped meet our goal of paying back that debt. This is cause for celebration!We’re not out of the woods. We still need to maintain consistent generosity and percentage giving for both the health of our church and to exercise our faith muscles. On Sunday I gave a “30 Day Challenge” to anyone who would accept asking everyone to read their Bibles for just 15 minutes a day, pray every day and give a tithe for 30 days. Several people have told me they are taking the challenge. How about you? Will you take the challenge and really dive into private disciplines that grow your faith?
If you haven’t already started using our online giving page, take advantage of it and click HERE.
Let’s do this together. Let’s reach the overwhelming number of people in Sonoma County who have NO relationship with God! We are here for the purpose of leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and I believe that’s true for NVC now more than ever.Partnering with you,Andy
Cirrhosis of the Giver
Lee Jenkins has served in the financial service industry for 25 years. He is the author of Lee Jenkins on Money. Here are a few observations he makes about Christians and giving.
- The average Christian in America gives only 2.5 percent of his or her income to God
- The percentage Christians who give financially to God has been declining for the past 26 years.
- Between 80 percent and 90 percent of Christians do not give 10 percent or more.
What’s up with that? Jenkins calls it “Cirrhosis of the Giver (COG).” This disease is spreading through many churches. Here is a test to see if you have the disease.
- Do you experience sudden paralysis and inability to reach for your wallet when the offering comes around?
- Do you find yourself sweating or getting mad at the pastor for talking about money?
- Do you pay everybody else before you pay God?
Automate the Important
| Dear New Vintage Family,
Several years ago, my wife and I started paying all of our bills online. Since things like our mortgage and insurance payments are the same every month, we decided to put them on autopilot. We do the same thing when it comes to saving – we set up an automatic deposit so we don’t have to think about it. For the last few weeks, we’ve been encouraging everyone in our church to automate the important by creating an online giving profile and setting up automatic contributions. Giving automatically is a great way to be intentional with generosity. If you’ve already taken this step, THANK YOU! If you support the mission of New Vintage financially, would you please consider making it automatic? Just visit our website and follow the instructions on the site. It’s safe and secure. If you’ve got any questions, feel free to call the church office at 707.545.7344 or just hit reply. Thanks, Andy PS – Here’s the link to the giving page on our website. |
Storytellers: Like Gravity
Our current series at New Vintage Church is called Storytellers . We all love a good story. And good story can change the way we live because it touches us emotionally and gives us a different perspective. This past week was the second of a four part series where we heard a story that Jesus told an audience about generosity and why God has given us extra. Talking about money, our stuff, and being generous can be a touchy subject but most people do not realize that Jesus talked about money more than any other subject. If Jesus talked about it, then I believe we need to talk about it to be consistent with our sacred literature.
I was reminded this morning in my quiet time that we are created in God’s image. Therefore, giving is a part of God’s nature and character and giving and being generous is woven into our very fabric. Generosity is a part of every human being’s DNA. If this is true, when we are reminded about the importance of being generous, God is not asking us to do something foreign to us but rather to live the life He designed us to live. If giving and generosity are how things should be, that means that living a self centered life is going against the grain — like trying to go against the law of gravity.
When someone goes against the laws of gravity, the results can be very painful. In fact, you can see a lot of distorted, bruised up, broken bones, crippled lives among those who defy the reality that all of life is given and must continue to be given to be true to its nature. Giving is what we as human beings do best. It is the air into which we were born. It is the action that was designed into us before our birth. Giving is the way the world is.
God gives himself. He also gives away everything that is. He makes no exceptions for any of us. That is the way creation works. It is so freeing to live a life that is in alignment with the way the Creator designed His creation. Live the best possible life. Be who you are designed to be — generous.
Invest in Life Change
Dear NVC Members & Attenders,
New Vintage Church relies on the people who make up New Vintage Church to do the ministry of the church. That includes giving, serving, inviting and being involved in smaller community groups. We believe God honors those selfless acts in order to accomplish our mission of leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ in Sonoma County. Thank you for being the church.
INVEST IN LIFE CHANGE
Giving is an essential part of our mission. Without financial support we can not accomplish our mission. We are challenging every person who considers themselves a part of New Vintage to give $100 above and beyond their regular tithe for the next year so that we can continue to accomplish our mission. When you give, you are investing in life change. This is where the money is goes…
Stories of Life Change
Giving online is the best way to be consistent. The following link will direct you to the secure online giving page. The amount you choose can be withdrawn from your bank account or charged to your credit card on a one-time or monthly basis. All information will be kept confidential and will not be given to or used by any other organization. Please feel free to call the church office at 707-545-7344 if you’d like help setting up online giving.
http://newvintage.org/100dollarchallenge
Thank you so much for prayerfully considering joining the $100 challenge, we look forward to increasing participation in this as we seek to accomplish the mission God has laid upon our hearts.
Andy VomSteeg
The Church Illustrated
This is a great illustration of how the Church of Jesus Christ loves the other side. A rare but powerfull act of love and encouragement to the opposing team that helps us all in the church world to remember our call — to love, cheer, care, forgive, encourage the other side. Enjoy this video.
If you call New Vintage Church your home…
This is a copy of a letter I recently sent out to our members…
Dear Friends,
Thank you so much for your generosity throughout 2010. I know the current economy means this generosity was a sacrifice for many of you. We appreciate that you have made it a priority in your budgets to partner with New Vintage Church to minister to hundreds of children and adults.
Because some families have moved out of the area and some have lost jobs, we have had a shortfall in income over the last several months. At the same time, our ministry has increased. As you may know, there are approximately half a million people in Sonoma County and 96% of them don’t have a church to call home, and we don’t want to stop reaching out to them. I continue to be amazed at how God provides for us during these challenging times, and we pray you are experiencing the same provision personally.
Would you consider making an additional end-of-the year gift to New Vintage Church to help us make up our shortfall and build a healthy foundation for growth in 2011? Also, for the next year we want to challenge everyone who calls New Vintage Church their home to give an extra $100 above and beyond their regular tithe. We’re calling it the $100 challenge.
Enclosed are two additional things: a commitment card and a credit card. Please mail your commitments back to 3300 Sonoma Ave, Santa Rosa, Ca 95405 and keep the credit card as a reminder in your wallet.
You can give online at http://newvintage.org/100dollarchallenge. You can mail your checks directly to the office or you can give your checks on Sundays during our offering.
Thanks so much for partnering with us to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ!
Andy VomSteeg's Blog 