gifts – First Reflections

Giving as a spiritual discipline

Rev. Dr. Scot Bontrager, Senior Pastor

Last Sunday in worship, Mark Buford, our Director of Communications, shared during the Call for the Offering that, “God loves a cheerful giver.”

I wish I were always a cheerful giver.

I’m not (yet).

But I do give – sometimes with grumbles – because I value the mission and ministry of our congregation.

In the past several months, we have been publishing our financial status every week in the bulletin.

It is no secret that we are operating on a shoestring budget, and our staff works very hard to keep our costs low.

Like most households, one emergency or unexpected expense can cause chaos.

In my short time here we’ve had several emergencies: water leaking into the walls, flooded basements, broken elevator, failed fire inspections, and probably many things I’ve repressed.

This is the reality of having an aging building.

We have managed to meet our expenses each month, sometimes, without anything to spare.

If you are not currently contributing to the operating expenses of the church, I encourage you to make a pledge.

Every bit helps.

I know it seems trite to say, “the price of a cup of coffee each day …” but it is true, every bit helps.

Beyond one-time gifts, what helps the most are recurring gifts.

I have set it up so that my gift is automatically charged to my credit card twice a month. This is what works best for me.

For others, weekly, monthly or quarterly gifts are better.

Having pre-configured, automatic giving through direct draft or on a credit card helps us plan better.

Recurring giving levels out the seasonal ups-and-downs that stress our Finance Committee.

Our congregation has a tradition of giving to special designated funds, such as the Music Ministry or the Student Ministry.

In normal times this is wonderful, but designating your gifts to specific ministries restricts what the Finance Committee is able to do when things are exceptionally tight.

As important as youth and music are, we can’t have people in the building to sing and play without first paying our insurance and utilities.

My encouragement is that any designated gifts to special funds are made after you’ve given to the general operating budget.

I appreciate any gift, no matter how small.

Our ministry in Garland is important. Your contribution to our shared ministry is important.

Thank you for your gifts and tithes!

True north

Kitty Williams, Director of Music Ministries

The theme verse for Pure Joy! Youth Choir this year is Galatians 5:22-23, the fruit of the spirit!

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

There is no law against such things.

This verse is part of a chapter that describes living “by the spirit.”

Those living by the spirit will reflect not only one, but all the fruit of the spirit described in this verse.

“Woah!” one may say. “That’s a lot of work.”

Our focus is not making sure we ‘do’ all the fruit. As Christians, our single focus is following the Holy Spirit.

Basically, our job is to trust in God through Christ by the Holy Spirit. God’s work handles the rest (the fruit in us.)

John 29:28-29 best describes it:

Then they said to him (Jesus), “What must we do to perform the works of God?”

Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

One of the songs the youth are learning is called True North, by a worship band from Northern Ireland band called Rend Collective.

Here are the abbreviated lyrics:

Oh, You are my true north
I will follow You into the dark.
I will follow You with all my heart.
I will not let the darkness steal the joy within my soul
I will not let my circumstance become my compass, no
I will not let the fears of life and sorrows of this world
Dictate to me how I should feel
For You are my true north.
I will not let my failures turn into the curse of shame
I will not walk beneath the clouds that taunt me and condemn
For I will stand on solid ground the shadow of Your love
Forgiven, changed, a heart renamed
For You are my true north, everybody sing
Oh, You are my true north.
I will follow You into the dark.
I will follow You with all my heart.

One of the students asked, “What is ‘true north,”

I gave a brief definition. But the question caused me to look it up! (Thank you, Google.)

There is the ‘magnetic’ north and the ‘true’ north. (How scientists figure this out is another discussion.)

This is what I learned:

The magnetic field of the earth changes. Therefore, if you only use a compass, you can be misled and get lost on the way to your destination.
To reach your desired destination, use the compass plus a ‘magnetic declination’ equation for the location (latitude.)

So how does this relate?

Basically, representing the ‘magnetic field’ – our emotions, world attitudes, cultural norms, religious rules and other voices can dictate our action. Following those guidelines, we miss the mark.

However, by seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit, our ‘magnetic declination,’ God’s kingdom can come on earth as it is in heaven.

The decision to follow the Holy Spirit is not a ‘one and done’ thing.

Trusting and believing is daily work, a daily decision.

“I will trust God today.”

The purpose of church community is to support each other in our daily decision of not what to do, but who to follow.

Miracles like Running 4 Clean Water, Good Samaritans of Garland, GLOWS (Garland Overnight Warming Shelter) and the support of knowing that you are loved will emerge.

Individuals and the church will bear fruit!

What do you do?

Josh Medlock, Director of Student Ministries

ne of the top three questions I get all the time is this:

“What do you do?”

This question often comes up when discussing my employment and where I work.

I used to tell people, “I work for the church.” That was it.

I said this because, when you tell people, “I am the Director of Student Ministries at First United Methodist Church Garland,” their response is usually something like, “Oh, so you are a pastor?”

Then I have to explain that I am not a pastor, since I am not ordained.

Which often leads to a discussion about the difference between a pastor and a minister and why that matters.

Much easier to say, “I work for the church.”

Truth is, if you are reading this, you probably also work for the church.

When we join the church, we take vows that state we will support our church with our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness.

But I am not sure I like the phrase “working for the church.”

When I think about the way that sounds, to me, it sounds like I am working for a place.

I guess it might be better to say, “working in the church?”

But then what does that mean? Still sounds like I am working for someone or for an entity.

I don’t work for either. I work for God. It really is that simple.

I do not work at First United Methodist Garland because of the entity, its people, or how much I get paid.

I work here because I work for God. I feel called to ministry in a way that allows me to serve and utilize my gifts.

In the last year and half, I haven’t been happy about needing to use ALL of my gifts.

I didn’t realize when I left maintenance to work in ministry that I would be working maintenance as part of the ministry.

That is a real wordy way of saying I didn’t leave maintenance to go work maintenance. Yet here I am.

Was I bitter? Yep. Was I frustrated? You bet.

But I realize that this is all part of the ministry I am called to do.

I vowed to serve with my gifts. That means all the gifts I possess that God can use.

I don’t get to pick and choose. Lord knows I have tried. Let me assure you, that typically does not work out well in the end.

So why am I telling you this? And what is the point?

We all are called to serve God with our gifts. What is your gift?

Can you sing? There is a robe and folder with your name on it waiting for you.

Are you artistic? We have plenty of ideas for newsletters, posters and media that could use a professional touch.

Do you like to get your hands dirty?

Come help me in the elevator pit one day cleaning out debris and oil.

Push a broom, vacuum a room or two. Work in the flower beds. Clean a few glass doors or windows.

Maybe physical isn’t your thing. But everyone can serve God.

Your gift may be the gift of prayer.

Your gift may be, well, gifts. Perhaps you have been blessed and are in the position to bless others financially.

We are called to serve. We vow to serve. We are built to serve.

I need to get over myself sometimes and realize that, even though I may not like it, I am good at fixing stuff.

And if that is where God needs me, then I should probably listen and get to work.

It is all part of the ministry.

I hope and pray that all of you continue to find ways to be part of the ministry.