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An Invitation to Year-End Giving

As we continue our Advent series The Greatest Gift, I am so grateful for your generous, sacrificial giving throughout 2015, continually responding to God's gift of Jesus. In the midst of denominational, pastoral, and staff transitions, your financial giving throughout this year has allowed our on campus ministries and off campus missions to thrive!

If you haven't yet pledged to the work of God in our midst next year, I invite you to do so today! Remember those four P's of giving:

Priority Giving: Is giving to God's Kingdom the top priority in your budget? As Jesus declared in Matthew 6.21, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Percentage Giving: What percentage of your revenue goes to God's Kingdom? Paul declares in 1st Corinthians 16.2, "On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income..."

Progressive Giving: Are you progressively increasing your giving over the years? In 2nd Corinthians 9.6, Paul writes, "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously."

Prompted Giving: Are you ready to spontaneously respond to the prompting of God's Spirit as unique opportunities arise? Luke writes in Acts 20.35b, "Remember the words of the Lord Jesus: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

As we near the end of 2015, I'd like to highlight one opportunity for additional "prompted" giving.

Last year, after a significant season of discernment, Good Shepherd was dismissed from our former denominational home to join ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians. This denominational realignment has prompted a renewed energy and enthusiasm throughout our congregation, especially in evangelism, and in partnering together as one family of faith, declaring the good news in unity!

You may recall, however, that the terms of our dismissal to join ECO entailed included three requirements:

  1. Removing all logos of our former denomination,
  2. Updating our By-Laws to be consistent with ECO,
  3. A significant financial commitment.

Indeed, the cost of being dismissed from our former denomination with our property was over $443,000. Because of your generous, sacrificial giving, the majority of this amount has already been collected. Again, thank you!

Two of the above three requirements have been met: We have removed all logos and updated our by-laws! The only thing we have left to do is finish the financial commitment to regain full ownership of our property. As we near the end of 2015, I invite you to consider making a year-end financial gift, in addition to your regular giving.

At our Session meeting this past Tuesday evening, Good Shepherd’s pastors and elders committed to using any gifts that exceed our 2015 budget needs to finish this third requirement, paying off our financial commitment to our dismissal.

As the Spirit leads you this Christmas season, would you consider an additional, prompted gift? If so, please simply include it in your offering to the General Fund, so that once we meet our budget needs, we can use any remaining funds to complete the process of our dismissal.

Thank you for your continued partnership in the gospel through Good Shepherd! I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday.

Grace and Peace,
Pastor Curtis

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