In my role as Finance Manager here at Living church, it’s my job to pay the pills, take care of payroll and reconcile all the giving. I then turn these figures into reports that help the staff and Board to make wise decisions about how we steward the finances in the best way to achieve our mission and vision.

The thing is, we all have a part to play in the finances of the church and whilst it’s entirely appropriate that you leave all the day to day stuff to me, there are definitely things you can do too.

At the start of 2 Corinthians chapter 8, Paul is talking to the people of Corinth about their giving and then we get to this:

¹⁰ And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. ¹¹ Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.

These verses encourage us to follow through on our willingness to give.  Practically, you can do a few things:

• Review your giving – if you are already giving, thank you.  But when was the last time you reviewed your giving?  Verse 11 refers to giving according to your means – what does that look like for you?
• Check your direct debits – sometimes direct debits are set up with a default of 12 months or an automatic finish date of 31 December, so if you have a direct debit please just check that it’s still going.  If you’re unsure how to do this, contact me and I can help.
• And if you’re not yet giving, but you do call this your church, can I invite you to pray about it and maybe check out the giving page on our website or you could speak to someone at the Next Steps Desk about the different giving options available.

If you’d like to talk about anything to do with finances, money, stewardship etc, I’m always happy to chat after the service on a Sunday or you can contact me in the office.

Janet Sutton