Generosity
The Exponential Power of Gratitude
Fill out your Estimate of Giving Card online here
“You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us.” - 2 Corinthians 9:11
Gratitude is the foundation of generosity. Generosity flows from a grateful heart, a heart that recognizes that all that we are and everything we possess comes from a gracious and generous God. Generosity is an act of gratitude, a way of honoring and giving thanks to God, the ultimate giver.
In our 2-part generosity message series this year, we will be thinking deeply about “Multiply: The Exponential Power of Gratitude” and how we grow in generosity as we cultivate gratitude. We will also explore the power of gratitude as an antidote to worry and anxiety. During the series, we will use Luke 12:13-32 as our springboard for reflection on the exponential and healing power of gratitude and generosity.
Our yearly generosity series is one of the ways that Suntree UMC is committed to helping all of us grow in the spiritual discipline of generosity. We believe, like the Apostle Paul, that generosity is a fruit of the Spirit that God longs to grow in each of us. It is one of the ways that our hearts become more like the heart of Jesus, who gave everything for us. Generosity is one of the ways that we can experience the joy of partnering with God in blessing others by passing along God’s blessings. Generosity that flows from a heart of gratitude is one more way that we live out our mission as a church to love God, love each other, and love our neighbors in extraordinary ways.
On Sunday, November 17th, we will begin this exploration into “Multiply: The Exponential Power of Gratitude” together. We hope you will use this time to draw closer to Jesus in prayer as you ask God to lead you in this journey. Included with this letter is a prayer card that we hope you will use over the next several weeks. Pray for our church, our community, and our world. Pray for the Holy Spirit to lead you to discover the power of gratitude to enable you to live an open-handed, open-hearted generous life. Ask God what next steps God longs for you to take on this generosity journey.
Below are some resources to help you begin to think about your decision regarding your financial resources and your time and talent. This year we will be asking each person to consider making both an estimate of their financial gifts and a time and talent commitment to the ministry of God’s church. What is amazing is the way God uses every gift, no matter how simple, to do things we might never imagine.
We pray you will join us for worship either in person or online as we thank God for all God’s gifts and consider how we can grow in reflecting the generous character of God through our generosity!
Series Materials:
Download the Estimate of Giving Card
Download the Series Information Card
Personal Growth Plan
The Personal Growth plan is essentially just a paper calculator to quickly calculate the percentage your household is giving.
This is a tool designed to hep you find your current income and the percentage that your giving represents and then prayerfully consider taking the next step towards a tithe or whichever level God is leading you to give
Generosity Stories
Throughout this series we will highlight in worship stories of God's surprising abundance. We will post those videos here after worship each week.
Are you ready to take the next step?
If you feel ready to take the next step in your giving and have answered the question "Lord, where do you want me to be in my giving?", then select one of the options below to fill out an estimate of giving card!
You can either download a pdf version of the card, fill it out, and return it to the church office, OR fill out the online form and have your estimate of giving sent directly to the church finance office. As always, your information will remain confidential and only our church finance administrator will see your information.
Fill out your Estimate of Giving Card online here
Download the Estimate of Giving Card