Members and Friends of Calvin Church
Although the first followers of Jesus lived over 2,000 years and 6,000 miles away from us, they faced challenges similar to our own. They gathered for worship weekly, and they sought to bear witness to Jesus among their neighbors. They taught their faith to their children, and they worked to support ministries to the poor both near and far. All of this required the sharing of resources to make it happen.
When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in the city of Corinth, he included an encouragement to practice the habit of regular financial giving.
“Every Sunday each of you make an offering and put it in safekeeping,” Paul wrote. “Be as generous as you can. When I get there you’ll have it ready, and I won’t have to make a special appeal.” — 1 Corinthians 16:2 (The Message)
Paul knew that giving in response to a special collection might be good for meeting an immediate need, but it falls short of helping people grow in grace as givers.
I can’t help but wonder if Paul might have similar exhortations for us. Calvin Church has always been generous in response to special appeals, whether it’s funding a youth mission trip, or renovating our foyer or kitchen. Yet our regular giving — week by week, month after month — can be quite inconsistent. This fall, I invite and encourage you to consider prayerfully how you might engage in a regular practice and spiritual discipline of financial giving.
- Give Intentionally. If you give only intermittently, or if you seldom give financially to your church, you might begin a routine habit of generous financial giving every week or month by regularly setting aside even a small percentage of your income to share as an offering.
- Give Abundantly. If you regularly give or tithe to Calvin Church, perhaps God is inviting you to increase your recurring giving to help our ministries keep up with rising costs.
- Give Joyfully. If you give generously, pray for the good of those who will be blessed by your gifts, knowing that God loves a cheerful giver.
- Give Continually. If you are already prayerfully responding to God’s call with your tithes and offerings, to “be as generous as you can” you could include a review of your planned giving and incorporate Calvin Church in
your estate planning.
With this letter is a commitment card for Be Generous: Stewardship 2026. Please use the card to indicate your financial stewardship commitment for Calvin Church’s General Fund in 2026. While we would appreciate receiving your card by Friday, November 28, you may mail it or return it to the church office at any time.
Thank you for your partnership in the life and ministries of Calvin Church! May we each respond faithfully to God’s generosity towards us by being generous in our own giving.
Serving Christ with you,
Dr. Neil Trainer
Pastor
Ready to Fill Out a Pledge Card?
Click the link below, fill out the form, then save it to your computer. Print and return to the church office, or email the new form to finance@calvinpc.org.
Explore Legacy Giving
Use the QR code below to visit our new legacy giving website, courtesy of the Presbyterian Foundation. The QR code below will provide direct access to the page that is viewable on any device. (You may also simply click on the QR code here to explore our new site.)
