Our Intersting Approach to Tithing

This article comes from Christianity Today. It offers an interesting perspective of a couple's 24 year journey together through tithing. Follow the link for the Complete article: Click Here

Gear Up For Learning

Two weeks ago we announced an opportunity for the church to Go Share with our community through United Ministries' annual Gear Up For Learning campaign. With two weeks to go we are off to a great start. We challenged the church to donate: 900 book bags - to date we have received 328 and 1550 packs of pencils (9 per pack) - to date we have received 496.

Bring your book bags and pencils by the church any day Sunday through Friday and place them in the lobby. If you have any questions contact Patti Bryan at patti@adbc.org or 905-5200.

Thank you for being a generous church and making a difference in our community. Your giving does make a difference!

Why Giving Matters

Giving is an important part of our walk with Christ. Part of our vision at Alice Drive is to help people Grow Character because we need to be like Jesus.

Some of the reasons I believe giving is important are:
Giving draws our hearts toward Christ – “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21
Giving develops character.
Giving allows us to invest for eternity – “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven….” Matthew 6:20

Is it time for you to take your next step? Step in and see how giving can transform your life and grow you to be like Jesus.

Open Door 2008

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8

We are called to be witnesses at home, around the state, around the nation and around the world. How can we do this? By giving to the Open Door Offering. The Open Door Offering is our collective missions' offering to support local, state, national and international missions. During the months of November and December we will have the opportunity to give to this special offering. If you have never given before, this is a wonderful opportunity for you to share an offering from the blessings God has given you.

Our goal this year is $105,000. Through this offering we will contribute $30,000 to the Lottie Moon Offering to support the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board, $20,000 to the Southern Baptist Convention's Annie Armstrong Offering to support the North American Mission Board, $10,000 to support the Southern Baptist Convention's statewide missions effort, $30,000 to our continuing efforts to support the Open Baptist Church in Botswana Africa, $5,000 to support Churches Together's efforts to join churches in the US with partners in Africa, $5,000 to support United Ministries here in Sumter and $5,000 to support the Light of Hope Crisis Pregnancy Center also here in Sumter.

Please prayerfully consider how you can be a part of this effort and together we can spread the Good News from Sumter "...to the ends of the earth."

Faith or Fear?

I read Business Week each week. It is amazing to me how long it’s been since I read a positive article. It seems each week; there is more bad economic news. I wonder sometimes if they are scared to publish something positive, fearing it may actually turn things around.

Publishing a positive article certainly would not change much, but attitude in the face of struggle plays a big part. Does your attitude reflect “The sky is falling” or does it reflect someone who has the faith that things will work out? Faith is not blind hope in a magic 8-ball that says “Stay the course.” It is confidence in a living God and our knowledge that things will work out for His will and in his time.

I hope your commitment to the tithe is a reflection of faith, rather than fear. I hope your gifts to the church are given with the attitude “I (we) can do this. God is in control.” Each one of us can make a significant contribution to the church that says, “We can do this. God is in control.”

Reprinted with permission, By James Bagwell, Business Administrator, Shandon Baptist Church

Summertime

Summer is a busy time. The months of June, July and August have the children going to camp, the students going to camp and on the World Changer’s mission trip and of course VBS. Summer brings a lot of activity and change to Alice Drive. Through these activities we are advancing the ministry and mission of Alice Drive to reach as many people as possible for Jesus Christ.

It is because of your giving to our ministry budget that we are able to spread Good News to as many people as possible. Your consistent and faithful financial support is also vital to the day-to-day operations of our church and ongoing ministry.

As we continue through the summer months, I want to encourage you to keep in mind the significance of giving and the eternal affect your offerings have on the lives of so many people. Through your continued support during the busy months of the summer, we are able to help as many people as possible take their next step toward Jesus Christ.

I Want To Be An Encourager

This past Sunday we were issued a challenge to be encouragers for Christ. During the service we were asked to make a commitment to encourage others over the coming year. 172 people filled out the commitment cards and pledged to encourage others through their words and deeds, to encourage others by praying for them and to encourage others through their giving. A total commitment of $605,933 was pledged to be contributed over the next twelve months. Thank you for responding to the challenge. Through your efforts, prayers and gifts, Alice Drive will continue to help as many people as possible take their next step toward Jesus Christ.

Just Do It!

As followers of Jesus Christ we at ADBC stress helping our fellowship (collectively and individually) and those outside the doors of our wonderful church building “TAKE THE NEXT STEP”. One of those steps is learning to share the blessings of God with others with wise spending of our time, talents and, yes, financial resources. A close friend told me what he took to heart from attending the Crown Financial was: “never use the term my/our money. It's all the Lord's and we need to strive to be good stewards of HIS resources--time, talents, finances etc”.

First, God doesn’t “need” our money but allows us to take part in His ministry to a fallen and broken world when we open our check books and give. In the book of James the apostle says, “Be doers of the word and not hearers only…” and financial giving is an important part of “doing”. How much you give isn’t as important as why you give – remember the story of the Widow’s giving in Mark 12: 41-44. Giving is in fact a ministry, one all of us can do even if we can’t give as much as the Widow. We need to remember how much God gave us, “His only begotten Son”, consider how little he asks of us by comparison and give from the heart. Some may ask the question “how can I give” and there are multiple answers but Nike probably has the best answer – JUST DO IT! That said, here are some points to consider when you choose to give to ADBC:

¨ First, give regularly. Some habits are bad but the habit of giving will help you develop spiritually. You can do this during the worship services, on line (URL details) or even drop off at the office – gifts given on a regular systemic basis.

¨ Follow God’s leading to give over and above what you normally do for unforeseen events, mission trips, camps, or other needs.

¨ In Memory Of Gifts – gifts given in the name of someone else to honor or memorialize them.

¨ Special Occasion Gifts – gifts given in the name of someone else to celebrate a special occasion such as a birthday, anniversary or Christmas. Some members of ADBC make special donations in stead of buying expensive gifts for relatives, especially when they really don’t need “one more thing”.

Remember, giving is a Blessing – not a duty.

What's Inside?

This entry comes from the SC Baptist Convention's Church Staff Digest and is written by Benjamin Littlejohn, Pastor of Eastlan Baptist Church in Greenville, SC.

It is a fact of life we do what we want to do and give to that which we want to give. "You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make that horse drink." The parallel is true when it comes to giving. No one can be "made" to give. Giving is something that must come from inside; it must come from our heart. Giving is like a love barometer. Granted, you can give without loving but you cannot love without giving. The Bible says, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." What's in your heart when it comes to giving?

Daily Devotion

From Crown.org.

God has asked for our first fruits, which is the first and best of all that we receive. That means we should tithe from our total income before taxes (gross).

"Now this shall be the priests' due from the people, . . .the firstfruits of your grain, your new wine, and your oil, and the first shearing of your sheep."

(Deuteronomy 18:3-4 NASB).

You Are A God Robber

I am away on vacation this week. While away, I am taking the liberty of using some posts from other blogs I enjoy reading and learn a lot from. This post is from Tim Stevens' Leading Smart blog.

"You Are A God Robber"

We just finished up our annual series on tithing. I hear some common "push back" statements every time we do this. These statements typically come from people who have been Christians for a long time (I'm purposely calling them "Christians" rather than "followers of Christ"...cause I think the distinction is important). Here are some of their statements, and my unfiltered response...
· "I'm in college and can't tithe right now" or "I'm on a fixed income and can't tithe" or "I'm a single parent and can't tithe right now." This is typically followed by, "When I'm making more money I'll begin tithing." No, you won't. It's a heart issue, not a money issue. You aren't tithing now because you don't trust God. You don't think God can meet your needs if you begin to honor him with your money. You want to maintain control.
· "It is so hard to tithe on my limited income." Anyone who has lived a portion of their life with very little money, and another portion of their life with ample amounts of money--will tell you that it is much harder to tithe when you have lots of money rather than just a little. Money has a way of getting entangled in your values as it increases and materialism is the fastest growing cell in your heart. Start when you have nothing and see what God does in your heart and through your life.
· "I'm really tired of this church talking about tithing." In 22 years of ministry, I've never once heard a tithing person complain that we are talking about tithing. Those who tithe have experienced the blessing of God and the freedom that comes with obeying God, and they want others to have that same experience. Whenever someone tells me they are tired of the church talking about money, it's like they have a flashing LED sign on their head that says, "I rob God!" Really, you should just lay low and go stealth. Quit advertising your hard heart.
· "If I won the lottery and got $10 million dollars, I would give $1 million to my church." No you wouldn't. If you aren't giving God 10% of your income now, there's not a chance in the world you would give 10% if you struck it rich. You are a God-robber, and God-robbers don't suddenly get generous when they get rich.
· "I've made some bad financial choices and can't tithe until I get back on track." I love your honesty. So get back on track. Sell your house. Downsize. Get in a financial education class. Drive an old beater. Live on beans and weenies. And do everything you can to get back on track and tithing so you can get in the flow of God's blessing!
· "I don't tithe to my church cause I'm not sure I trust all the decisions they make with the money." Then find a church where you trust the leaders. Not a church where you agree with every decision they make, but a church where you can believe God to work through the leadership that is in place. Quit sucking off the things you like about the church while withholding your tithe or sending it somewhere else.

I'm praying that the families of Granger will get serious this week about honoring God with their finances. When they do, I can't wait to see what God does in our community through their faith.



I too pray that the families of Alice Drive Batist Church get serious about honoring God with their finances.

Spiritual Disciplines

In January we went through a four week series called FISH - First Improve Spiritual Health. During this time we learned the importance of personal daily Bible study with over 300 people committing to read the Bible through in a year, we learned the importance of praying daily, we learned the importance of giving and we learned the importance of serving. Through practicing each of these disciplines we grow to be disciples more like Christ. Reading the Bible gives us knowledge, prayer gives us communication with God, giving helps breaks the greed within us and through serving others we are giving of our selves to do things for others in the name of Jesus with no strings attached.

Richard Foster, in his book Celebration of Discipline, says that "God has ordained the Disciplines of the spiritual life as the means by which we place ourselves where He can bless us." If you haven't started reading your Bible, praying, giving or serving there is no time like the present. Jump in and see what God does in your life. You will not be disappointed.

Investment Returns

If you have ever wondered what return you get for giving your offering each week, the payoff was seen today at Alice Drive Baptist Church. This morning we baptized five young people and another made a decision to follow Christ in the second service. These 6 lives have been changed for eternity. Thank you for being a church that gets it!

Go Share

Alice Drive Baptist Church exists to help as many people as possible take their next step toward Jesus Christ. We do this by helping then Know Jesus, Know Community, Grow Character and Go Share.

On Sunday, February 17, 2008, a sister church in our community was destroyed by fire. While the church building is no longer standing, the church - Hillcrest Baptist Church - is still alive. They are going to rebuild.

During the morning service Sunday a challenge was issued to our people to give an over and above offering to help Hillcrest rebuild. The people of ADBC responded, together we gave over $5,400.00.

Thank you for being a church that is willing to Go Share the resources that God has blessed you with to help the Kingdom go forward.

More Than Enough

My Bible reading for the day was from Exodus 35 and 36. This passage tells of the building of the tabernacle. Moses instructed the Israelites to bring an offering to the Lord for the building of the tabernacle. These items would be used by the skilled craftsmen to do the work. The Israelites brought jewels, wood, silver, gold and other items as their offering to the Lord. In verse 5 the craftsmen tell Moses, "The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the Lord commanded." In the following verses Moses actaully has to tell the Israelites to stop making their offerings as they already had "...more than enough to do all the work."

When was the last time your church had "more than enough to do all the work?"

Unfortunately, today's churches have difficulty scraping together enough money, volunteers, leaders and supplies to do many of the ministries God has called them to do. Just as the Israelites, we have in our possession the resources and the time to do the ministry God has called us to do. The problem is we are not willing to surrender ourselves to God to do the ministry.

If you are holding back from God, it is gut check time. When the offering is taken, give and give generously, when a need for volunteers arises, volunteer your time, when there is a need for other resources that you have, offer them.

What a testimony it would be to the world if the church had to tell its people to stop because we "have more than enough."

Perspective

"The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
for He founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters." (Psalm 24:1-2)

This scripture clearly shows that God is the owner and Provider of all we have. Why then do we hold back on using and sharing those blessings with others? We should use the blessings we have to honor God, serve others and Glorify Him. As you continue to reflect on establishing new habits for the new year, consider the ways in which you can use the abundance you have been blessed with to honor God.