Dear Redeemer Family and Friends,
This summer at Redeemer will be a bit different for all of us. Even as we await hotter temperatures, enjoy the change in our usual busy calendars, and head out of town (our hope for many), we’ll see different faces in our pulpit bringing us God’s word. We trust this variety of voices will be a blessing for all of us, as we pray Eric’s sabbatical will be a blessing for him and his family. Wherever you’re going, we hope you’ll have a restful and refreshing time and keep up with Redeemer via our livestream on Sundays, our podcast updated on Mondays, and our regular weekly emails.
One thing about this summer will be the same, however. For most churches, summer attendance dips, and summer giving often dips as well. If you’re not already in the habit of giving on a regular basis to the church via your bank or through our online giving portal, please take a moment now and set up a recurring gift that will be made no matter where you might be this summer. Redeemer relies on your sacrificial giving to pay its bills, compensate staff, and provide for the missionaries we support. These needs don’t take a break when we’re ready to head out of town! Anything you can do to help us faithfully meet these needs during the summer months will be greatly appreciated.
This is also a good time to review what you have already given to the church this year. If you’ve fallen behind what you intended to give, a special gift that makes up some of what you planned to give will be very helpful.
If you don’t regularly give to the church, let us encourage you to do so. When we give our resources to God, several things happen:
- First, we create an opportunity for God to act in our lives. By giving away some of our material wealth, we show our dependency on God. It allows us to pray with more fervency what Jesus taught his disciples: “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11).
- Second, we actively participate in the broader work of the church. Paul gives thanks to the church in Philippi as they supported him with their financial gifts, partnering with him in his missionary work (Phil. 1:5). Not all of us can go to Peru or teach Sunday school or sing in the choir, but all of us can play a small part in God’s work when we give.
- Third, we fix our eyes more and more on heaven. Paul told Timothy that Christians are “storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life” (1 Tim. 6:19) when they give. Giving away some of our resources now helps us to focus more and more on the eternal realities that are truly life.
Thank you, in advance, for your support, and have a blessed, safe, and fun summer!
In Christ,
The Session