from Matthew 19. You know, the one where the rich man asks Christ how to get eternal life. And Christ tells him to sell all his possessions and give them to the poor and follow him.


Harry thought about this verse a lot and how it spoke to him in his life. He heard Christ saying to all of us that, no matter what earthly thing has a grip on us, we need to let it go and be free of the power it has that is keeping us from a true relationship with Christ.


So he took it to heart and started to let go of his conserving ways by giving more. At first it was just a little more. But an amazing thing happened: The more he did it, the easier it became, and


In addition to feeling called to give financially, Bev Kerch joined FPCA’s well-drilling trip to Honduras, where the mission team also instructed village children on dental hygiene.


BEV KERCH


One of my earliest memories is of my father coming home from work on Fridays with his cashed paycheck in a bank envelope. He would go to this drawer in our dining room, pull out his budget envelopes, and proceed to fill them. One of the envelopes was always church. Giving back to God and the church off the top is something that was instilled in me very early on.


So with his blessing, I am going to tell you my husband Harry’s story.


Giving for him was never natural, never easy. He was raised by frugal parents who taught him to spend wisely and save for the future and the rainy day. Having our own business only reinforced that conserving nature. When you have your own business, there are times of feast and times of famine, so when you’re in a time of feast, you save.


So on Sundays when we would go to church, I would put our check in the envelope and he would throw in a few extra dollars in the plate here and there.


Then one day, when he was praying and thanking God for all our many blessings, for some reason he began to think of the story of the rich man


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the grip the money had on him was released.


Giving for Harry is now an act of faith. It is between him and God. I don’t even know how much he gives, and he never puts it in our envelope to get “credit.” He says he’s giving it to God, not the church, and that he has faith that God’s work will be done through the church.


Every week when I see him put his contribution in the plate (or box), I feel God’s spirit moving in him, and I am filled with gratitude.


PETE KAREHA


When I joined the Annual Giving team, I had a number of questions. One of them, a tiny one, was, “How do I pledge?” See, I’ve been a member of this church my whole life, but I joked with the committee that I’ve really only been an adult member for the last year since my wife and I moved back to the area after being away for over 10 years. Prior to that, I was probably guilty of selective hearing when it came to the topic of pledging.


I’ve since come to appreciate how the offering my wife and I bring each Sunday would mean so much more to the church from a planning perspective if we were to pledge the amount. That way, the church would be in the loop of our giving plan over the next 12 months. I learned that in addition to the traditional paper


form, we can pledge online, give through text messaging, and even use an app.


But my main message is why pledging is important to me. First, I pledge because I want our son to have a great youth experience at our church. I was fortunate to grow up in this church, and I had a fantastic youth experience. His will be different, and while I don’t know what that means exactly, I pledge to make sure we’re doing what we can to make it great.


Second, I pledge because I love having a place where our family can come together each Sunday to


BECAUSE… I GIVE


Giving of ourselves—including sharing financial blessings—is an integral act of faith. In the fall, FPCA members and friends were invited to share reasons for giving on colored notes that were posted on panels in our places of worship. People responded with some 183 messages (see back cover). Here’s a sampling of how people completed a sentence beginning “I give because”:


• God has been so good to me.


• It feels awesome!


• To keep it all for myself just doesn’t feel right!


• I love God and my church.


• I can’t think of a reason not to give.


• I’ve seen how it transforms the giver.


• It helps remind me that nothing I own is mine.


• I can no longer hold back. • God provides.


• My small gift makes a difference.


• I am loved.


• Jesus gave his own life for us.


• I know this makes God smile.


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