“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 4:19 ESV
Members and Friends of Calvin Church
Will God really supply all our needs “according to his riches in glory” as Paul writes in Philippians? We want to believe this, but our life experiences can challenge the validity of the claim. We see the vast needs of people in our community and around the globe. How does Paul’s assertion apply to our world? Could it be that he is speaking only of our spiritual riches “in Christ?”
To put Paul’s statement in context, he is addressing the believers in Philippi — and believers through the ages, including us — not the circumstances of famine, drought, flood, injustice, and violence that fill our news feeds daily.
There are glorious riches to be found in our lives with Christ. There are the spiritual riches of his love — forgiveness, grace, comfort, peace that passes understanding…. But scripture tells us that God does care about our physical and material needs too, even to knowing the number of hairs on our heads. And Jesus taught us to ask the Father for our daily bread.
God can and does supply what we need. The more we trust and experience this truth, in need and in prayer, the more our faith grows when we see God provide in unexpected ways.
Giving generously and joyously is one way to trust God to supply all our needs. We give to God primarily through our regular gifts to our local place of worship, Calvin Church. In practical terms, our gifts support our pastors and staff, maintain our facility, and fund our ministries within the church, as well as reaching out into our community and world beyond.
Each November, we ask you to prayerfully estimate what you plan to give during the next calendar year and to share this on a confidential commitment card. Individually these acts of faith help hold us each accountable to our giving goal, and corporately they help church leaders plan for the coming year.
In addition to continuing this annual process, I want to introduce you to a new resource Calvin is making available to all.
While we do plan our annual giving, there is another type of giving referred to as planned giving, or often called legacy giving. Arrangements for a legacy gift must be made during one’s lifetime, but the gift is not given until the donor’s life has ended. There are a host of different strategies for making a legacy gift, depending on a person’s family and financial situation. The simplest to implement are provisions in a will or trust or beneficiary designations in a retirement account or an insurance policy. Some legacy giving strategies may have income tax benefits for the donor or avoid tax liability for heirs. Determining what is best for you usually takes professional legal or financial assistance.
But the first step is to simply become familiar with the many options for making a legacy gift. Calvin has a new resource to help you do this. We are adding a link on the church website (www.calvinpc.org/stewardship) to a new Legacy Giving microsite, provided through the Presbyterian Foundation, and customized for Calvin. A QR code will provide direct access to the page that is viewable on any device.
When we commit to giving a legacy gift to God through the church, it is an act of faith that God will continue to meet our needs throughout our lives, and even have resources left to share when we are gone. It is trusting God to honor the planned gift by stretching what he gives us to last beyond our lifetime to leave a legacy for those who continue after us.
We have experienced God’s glorious riches through his provision in the past. We do experience them in the present by acknowledging that all we have comes from him. And we will experience God’s most glorious riches in our eternal future with him.
God’s past faithfulness inspires me to trust him for the future. I invite you to join me in making our 2025 giving commitments with joyous generosity.
Barbara Rood
Ruling Elder
Calvin Stewardship Team
Thank you for being a means through which God supplies the needs of our congregation. Your faithful and generous financial gifts ensure the continued growth of the ministries of Calvin Church. In the Apostle Paul’s words, “They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God (Philippians 4:18 NIV).”
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.)
