2014 Annual Stewardship Program: “More Than Enough”

Sunday, October 12, we will launch our four-week annual stewardship program. Stewardship is much more than supporting God’s work financially, and Pastor Paul’s sermons will explore five key elements of being a faithful steward: our presence, our gifts, our prayers, our service and our witness.

The theme for this year’s program is “More Than Enough,” based upon 2 Corinthians 9:8 –

And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.

God has blessed each of us with abundance, and has given us very clear instructions in the Bible on how to be good stewards of our financial blessings:

1. We commit to give regularly. This doesn’t mean that we give only on Sundays when we are in church. Rather, it means that we plan and commit to set aside our offering every week, even if we can’t be in worship on a particular Sunday.
2. We give proportionately. God did not ask us to give from whatever we find leftover in our wallet or purse at the end of the week. God does ask us to give the first fruits of our labor, a planned percentage of our income.
3. We grow in our giving. The standard God set for us is a 10% tithe of our income.

The aim of this year’s campaign is regular committed giving in obedience to God. We have set a goal that all of us – yes, 100% of our members – will return our pledge cards for presentation to the Lord on Consecration Sunday, November 2. The pledge cards will be distributed with our quarterly giving statements in church on October 19 or by mail the following week.

We look forward to sharing this experience with you.

In God’s service,

2014 Stewardship team – Charles Kirpatrick, Gary LaRoy, Terri Preiss, Fran Warthman, Ron Warthman, and Pastor Paul.

Stewardship Minutes

As part of our More Than Enough program, members of Hartland UMC are sharing their stewardship beliefs and experiences with the congregation each Sunday as part of our worship:

October 5, 2014 – Charles Kirkpatrick and Terri Preiss

October 12, 2014 – Mary Jo Bell

October 26, 2014 – Jenny LaRue

November 2, 2014 – Sue LaRoy

What are we doing?

We have a unique opportunity to greatly reduce the debt on the Armstrong Hall mortgage. In this campaign, every dollar you give will be matched up to $50,000 essentially Doubling your gift. The $50,000 was given for this matching campaign by a few donors of the church. The goal of this campaign is to raise at least $100,000 to apply directly to pay down the principle balance on the Armstrong Hall Mortgage.

Why are we doing it?

The Armstrong Hall mortgage has become a significant challenge for our Church. The funds to make the monthly loan payments have been greatly reduced and not enough to sustain payments. The United Methodist Foundation (the lender) allowed us to make interest-only payments for six months, but that has expired. The current loan balance is about $180,000, and the Foundation is not willing to refinance, unless we can greatly reduce the balance. Default on this mortgage would be a devastating event for Hartland United Methodist Church.

Stewardship Minutes

As part of this program, members of Hartland UMC shared their stewardship beliefs and experiences with the congregation each Sunday as part of our worship. Here are a few of the “Stewardship Minutes”:

May 18, 2014 – Charles Kirkpatrick

May 4, 2014 – Bill Palmer & Charles Kirkpatrick

April 27, 2014 – Terri Preiss

April 20, 2014 – Bill Palmer

April 13, 2014 – Gary LaRoy

  (Supporting visuals)

April 6, 2014 – Charles Kirkpatrick

Double Blessing Sunday Pledge Results

On Double Blessing Sunday, June 1st, we celebrated the 10 years of ministry through Armstrong Hall.   We also give thanks to God for the bountiful blessings through those who have pledged out of their resources to raise $100,235 toward the above stated goals.  I (Pastor Paul) am continually amazed by the generosity of these people called “United Methodists”, and continue to look forward to the work God is doing in and through us at Hartland United Methodist Church.

Pastor Paul

Many of us have automated much of our bill paying today. This is important as it effects how we live. We can also now automate our tithes and offerings to the church by one of two methods:

• Online Giving – Hartland UMC has arranged a convenient way to automate your giving, powered by e.service®. Take 5-10 minutes to set up your profile and your donation timing and amount. Click here to get started.

• Online Bill Pay – You can use your existing personal online bill pay to set up your tithes and offerings, or contact your bank and they can help you set up this process.

Proverbs 3:9-10 – Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. 

Stress. Anxiety. Fear.

These words capture well the state of mind for many for us in America today. We have witnessed over the last six years, dramatic market losses, the collapse of the world’s largest insurance company, bankruptcies, mergers, and bailouts. Every day seems to bring another piece of economic uncertainty.

Five years ago, a CNN survey found that over three in four Americans are stressed about the economy and their personal finances. Half were worried about providing for their family’s basic needs. Over half of respondents reported feeling angry and irritable, and reported laying awake at night worried about this. The report concludes that “the declining state of the nation’s economy is taking a physical and emotional toll on people nationwide.”

In Fall, 2013, Hartland UMC embarked on a four-week sermon and study series entitled Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity, based upon the book by Adam Hamilton. During this time we explored through our worship and small group study what the Bible teaches us about financial management. We heard expert advice and stories about what others have learned by working through financial challenges.

You can follow this journey by reading the book and by listening to the sermon series. Click here for information on how to buy the book, and click here to listen to the sermon series.