Why are we always serving the poor? People with money have problems, too, you know.
As I said in the response to yesterday’s question, I don’t think we get to choose who we will serve. We are humanity’s slave. That applies to where people live and it applies to their economic standing. We are called to serve the poor, serve the rich and everyone in between. A few thoughts to consider:
-University City Fellowship serves primarily the wealthy on Sunday mornings. Some of you would not necessarily agree with that, but nearly everyone who comes drives to get there in a car that they (or their family) own. That means they are “rich” from the world’s standpoint. Our messages and style are more focused on reaching out to those in the top 25% of the world’s wealth, mainly because if you live in this geographic region then you are in this category.
-I realize that money doesn’t solve problems and often it creates problems for people. That is one reason that we are doing life here in the Charlotte area and not in the streets of Calcutta.
-God does direct us to give to and serve to poor. It doesn’t take too much effort to find God’s heart for the poor in the Bible. One verse that I especially like is Proverbs 19:17, “If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD – and he will repay you!” It is kind of different to think of what we are doing as “lending” to God. I also simply love Jesus’ words that “when you have done it to the least of these, you have done it to me.” I don’t know about you, but I want to serve Jesus and one of the best ways to do it is to serve and give to the poor. We will always be this kind of place with this kind of focus.
-I think God does a renovation in our hearts (with our attitudes and motives) when we serve the poor. Sometimes this renovation is a little trying and painful. Try it and see.
Showing posts with label generosity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label generosity. Show all posts
7.10.2008
The Auction Results!
Okay guys, I am sorry for the slow update on the Nance Bay Buffalo Nickel Auction which ended on Monday. For those new to this topic you need to read the previous post. The numbers that I am going to report are only significant as they relate to the story of God’s work in the life UCF and the people who are moved by God to accomplish his work. I could write for a long time of the endless connections and stories that this idea has generated and the amazing things that God is doing through it. I will try to give you a glimpse.
First of all the numbers: The total auction raised right at $4,000 with the winning bid going to Amy Montgomery. She bid on this so that she could give this nickel to her son Zachary who is currently working with Teen Mania Ministries and is heading to Bible College soon. Zachary’s story of life change is truly amazing and I have been blessed to just be able to watch God work in someone’s life to this extent. When I emailed Zachary about the Auction he told me that he wept and that his heart is really full of compassion for those who are struggling with homelessness. I am excited that he will have a real life reminder of the faith that leads a homeless man to give all that he had to help someone share Jesus with people in Ethiopia.
The money will help to pay for some of the transition costs for Mike and Amy Rodgers who moved last month to their permanent location at Lake Langano, Ethiopia. We have a mission trip with 10 people heading there in 14 days so please pray for God’s activity to be realized and responded to in huge ways.
Now for another side story to the whole Nance Bay Buffalo Nickel. This story requires a text from the bible where Paul writes,
6 Remember this – a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 7 You must each make up your own mind as to how much you should give. Don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves the person who gives cheerfully. 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 9 As the Scriptures say, "Godly people give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will never be forgotten." 10 For God is the one who gives seed to the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will give you many opportunities to do good, and he will produce a great harvest of generosity in you. 11 Yes, you will be enriched so that you can give even more generously. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will break out in thanksgiving to God. 12 So two good things will happen – the needs of the Christians in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanksgiving to God. 13 You will be glorifying God through your generous gifts. For your generosity to them will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. 14 And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the wonderful grace of God shown through you. 15 Thank God for his Son – a gift too wonderful for words! 2 Corinthians 9
God is definitely at work in our church producing a culture of generosity… it is becoming who we are and it comes so close to the heart of God that it is exciting to see. Some of you have read the above verses with a little skepticism because it tends to indicate that to the person who gives cheerfully, God will in turn “generously provide all you need.” In a sense it kind of indicates that if we give cheerfully we will receive from God generously. Now many misguided TV evangelists have selfishly and wickedly used these verses to pad their pockets, but that should not distract us from the truth of the bible. You might wonder where I am going with this. Well here is the deal... one of the bids for Nance’s Nickel was written for $500, enclosed also was a separate check for $1,000 to help out with anything that we feel Nance might need. The end result is this, a homeless man in obedient to God and give all he has to God’s Kingdom work, this is used to raise $4,000 for UCF’s missionaries and another $1,000 to help the same homeless man who gave the original nickel. Pretty good return… I think the bible calls that a “generous crop.” Now I wonder what would happen if we all began to act in faith and give to the things of God. Generosity is contagious and the joy that comes with it is a rush.
Note: The $1,000 that was given for Nance will be given to those at UCF who have a relationship with him and are able to give to him as they see the needs arise. I am excited to see what God does through the money and the relationships it will deepen.
Love loud… risk often.
David
First of all the numbers: The total auction raised right at $4,000 with the winning bid going to Amy Montgomery. She bid on this so that she could give this nickel to her son Zachary who is currently working with Teen Mania Ministries and is heading to Bible College soon. Zachary’s story of life change is truly amazing and I have been blessed to just be able to watch God work in someone’s life to this extent. When I emailed Zachary about the Auction he told me that he wept and that his heart is really full of compassion for those who are struggling with homelessness. I am excited that he will have a real life reminder of the faith that leads a homeless man to give all that he had to help someone share Jesus with people in Ethiopia.
The money will help to pay for some of the transition costs for Mike and Amy Rodgers who moved last month to their permanent location at Lake Langano, Ethiopia. We have a mission trip with 10 people heading there in 14 days so please pray for God’s activity to be realized and responded to in huge ways.
Now for another side story to the whole Nance Bay Buffalo Nickel. This story requires a text from the bible where Paul writes,
6 Remember this – a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 7 You must each make up your own mind as to how much you should give. Don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves the person who gives cheerfully. 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 9 As the Scriptures say, "Godly people give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will never be forgotten." 10 For God is the one who gives seed to the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will give you many opportunities to do good, and he will produce a great harvest of generosity in you. 11 Yes, you will be enriched so that you can give even more generously. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will break out in thanksgiving to God. 12 So two good things will happen – the needs of the Christians in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanksgiving to God. 13 You will be glorifying God through your generous gifts. For your generosity to them will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. 14 And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the wonderful grace of God shown through you. 15 Thank God for his Son – a gift too wonderful for words! 2 Corinthians 9
God is definitely at work in our church producing a culture of generosity… it is becoming who we are and it comes so close to the heart of God that it is exciting to see. Some of you have read the above verses with a little skepticism because it tends to indicate that to the person who gives cheerfully, God will in turn “generously provide all you need.” In a sense it kind of indicates that if we give cheerfully we will receive from God generously. Now many misguided TV evangelists have selfishly and wickedly used these verses to pad their pockets, but that should not distract us from the truth of the bible. You might wonder where I am going with this. Well here is the deal... one of the bids for Nance’s Nickel was written for $500, enclosed also was a separate check for $1,000 to help out with anything that we feel Nance might need. The end result is this, a homeless man in obedient to God and give all he has to God’s Kingdom work, this is used to raise $4,000 for UCF’s missionaries and another $1,000 to help the same homeless man who gave the original nickel. Pretty good return… I think the bible calls that a “generous crop.” Now I wonder what would happen if we all began to act in faith and give to the things of God. Generosity is contagious and the joy that comes with it is a rush.
Note: The $1,000 that was given for Nance will be given to those at UCF who have a relationship with him and are able to give to him as they see the needs arise. I am excited to see what God does through the money and the relationships it will deepen.
Love loud… risk often.
David
6.20.2008
A homeless man... a buffalo nickel... and God's plan!
First I want to introduce you to someone who has been to UCF twice. His name is Nans Bay. In the picture, Nans (on right) is standing with Joe Pelham, a regular at UCF. Joe met Nans in uptown Charlotte on a Sunday afternoon several months ago. 
Nans is one of our friends who doesn’t have a home and lives on the street. Joe picked him up for church back in May for his first visit and this past Sunday he came again with Joe.
At the end of this Sunday’s neighborhood gathering, I had planned on challenging everyone to give to two areas of need. The first was to Mike and Amy Rodgers (UCF’s missionaries to Ethiopia). They have just finished 9 months of language training and moved last week to their long-term home at Lake Langano. They have about $10,000 worth of one-time needs that are related to their move (things like furniture, generators, solar power system, etc). The second area of need was the UCF update we are planning for the Fall that includes all of our environments with particular attention to K-12th grades.
I challenged people to give $210 to each project. Why $210? Well, it costs $210 to provide for all of Mike and Amy needs for a single day and I thought I would mention that as well. Besides, $210 just seemed right. I have challenged people of the last few weeks to give a portion of their economic stimulus check that everyone has been receiving lately. After all, I believe it is simply God’s way of getting the US Government to fund mission work in Ethiopia. All it takes is our cooperation.
I think I was bolder than I have ever been, because in the middle of my challenge I simply thought, “if anyone knows a church that is doing more to reach out to the world around us with less, I want to know!” But instead of just thinking it I said it out loud. (That happens a lot in my world!) But the more I thought about it, the more I believed it. We are doing a great job of maximizing the money that comes into this place. And if there is another place that is doing more than we are with the same amount or less, I want to know so that we can learn from them how to do better. Bottom line, sometimes it isn’t about getting more for less, it is about challenging people to give more to places that are getting God’s work done! And right now, our mission needs to expand financially!
The service ended and I went to the Respond Area to spend some time with anyone who wanted to talk about the message. The first person that came up to me was Nans Bay. I greeted him with a hug because it was great to see him again. He said he needed to talk to me and he had a serious tone. He reached down and grabbed my hand and began to put something in it. As he was doing this he said, “now I don’t have $210, if I had it I’d of already gave it to ya. All I got is this nickel! Now it isn’t just any nickel, it’s a 1934 Buffalo Nickel. Now, I’m sure it’s not worth $210 but it’s all I got and maybe it can help your friends over there in Africa!” With a stunned silence, I looked down at the buffalo nickel he put in my hand. I was speechless as my eyes started to water a bit as I looked at Nans. He said, “I’ve been carrying this with me for a while now, but this is definitely where it needs to go!”
The story that immediately raced through my head was of Jesus and his disciples watching the widow give her only two coins to the offering in Luke 21…
While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people putting their gifts into the collection box. 2 Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two pennies. 3 "I assure you," he said, "this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. 4 For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has."
In one of my favorite books of the bible, James writes these penetrating words…
My dear brothers and sisters, F5 how can you claim that you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people more than others? 2 For instance, suppose someone comes into your meeting F6 dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in shabby clothes. 3 If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, "You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor" – well, 4 doesn't this discrimination show that you are guided by wrong motives? 5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn't God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren't they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? 6 And yet, you insult the poor man!
I started to say to Nans, “thanks man, but you need this more than Mike and Amy.” But then the Spirit seemed to stop me. What I heard in my mind were two things,
“Don’t insult his faith by robbing him of the blessing of giving”
“I have a plan for that nickel.”
I thanked Nans and assured him that God has a plan for his nickel. He walked away and my mind immediately began churning on what to do with Nans nickel. Sunday afternoon I prayed and thought about it and here is what I sense the plan should be.
We are going to hold a Nans Bay Nickel Auction with all of the proceeds going to help Mike and Amy Rodgers work in Ethiopia. And here is how the auction will work, from now until July 6th we will be taking bids. All bids must be submitted in the form of a check made out to “UCF” with “Nans Nickel” in the memo line. The top bidder on July 6th will be awarded the nickel. The big difference in this auction is that all bids will be cashed! When you submit a bid by check, your check will be cashed and be added to the total. So let the bidding begin and check back here for updates!!!
You guys need to make this happen so that I can go back and tell Nans what God did with his buffalo nickel and his faith. Make it happen!
Nans is one of our friends who doesn’t have a home and lives on the street. Joe picked him up for church back in May for his first visit and this past Sunday he came again with Joe. At the end of this Sunday’s neighborhood gathering, I had planned on challenging everyone to give to two areas of need. The first was to Mike and Amy Rodgers (UCF’s missionaries to Ethiopia). They have just finished 9 months of language training and moved last week to their long-term home at Lake Langano. They have about $10,000 worth of one-time needs that are related to their move (things like furniture, generators, solar power system, etc). The second area of need was the UCF update we are planning for the Fall that includes all of our environments with particular attention to K-12th grades.
I challenged people to give $210 to each project. Why $210? Well, it costs $210 to provide for all of Mike and Amy needs for a single day and I thought I would mention that as well. Besides, $210 just seemed right. I have challenged people of the last few weeks to give a portion of their economic stimulus check that everyone has been receiving lately. After all, I believe it is simply God’s way of getting the US Government to fund mission work in Ethiopia. All it takes is our cooperation.
I think I was bolder than I have ever been, because in the middle of my challenge I simply thought, “if anyone knows a church that is doing more to reach out to the world around us with less, I want to know!” But instead of just thinking it I said it out loud. (That happens a lot in my world!) But the more I thought about it, the more I believed it. We are doing a great job of maximizing the money that comes into this place. And if there is another place that is doing more than we are with the same amount or less, I want to know so that we can learn from them how to do better. Bottom line, sometimes it isn’t about getting more for less, it is about challenging people to give more to places that are getting God’s work done! And right now, our mission needs to expand financially!
The service ended and I went to the Respond Area to spend some time with anyone who wanted to talk about the message. The first person that came up to me was Nans Bay. I greeted him with a hug because it was great to see him again. He said he needed to talk to me and he had a serious tone. He reached down and grabbed my hand and began to put something in it. As he was doing this he said, “now I don’t have $210, if I had it I’d of already gave it to ya. All I got is this nickel! Now it isn’t just any nickel, it’s a 1934 Buffalo Nickel. Now, I’m sure it’s not worth $210 but it’s all I got and maybe it can help your friends over there in Africa!” With a stunned silence, I looked down at the buffalo nickel he put in my hand. I was speechless as my eyes started to water a bit as I looked at Nans. He said, “I’ve been carrying this with me for a while now, but this is definitely where it needs to go!”
The story that immediately raced through my head was of Jesus and his disciples watching the widow give her only two coins to the offering in Luke 21…
While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people putting their gifts into the collection box. 2 Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two pennies. 3 "I assure you," he said, "this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. 4 For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has."
In one of my favorite books of the bible, James writes these penetrating words…
My dear brothers and sisters, F5 how can you claim that you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people more than others? 2 For instance, suppose someone comes into your meeting F6 dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in shabby clothes. 3 If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, "You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor" – well, 4 doesn't this discrimination show that you are guided by wrong motives? 5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn't God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren't they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? 6 And yet, you insult the poor man!
I started to say to Nans, “thanks man, but you need this more than Mike and Amy.” But then the Spirit seemed to stop me. What I heard in my mind were two things,
“Don’t insult his faith by robbing him of the blessing of giving”
“I have a plan for that nickel.”
I thanked Nans and assured him that God has a plan for his nickel. He walked away and my mind immediately began churning on what to do with Nans nickel. Sunday afternoon I prayed and thought about it and here is what I sense the plan should be.
We are going to hold a Nans Bay Nickel Auction with all of the proceeds going to help Mike and Amy Rodgers work in Ethiopia. And here is how the auction will work, from now until July 6th we will be taking bids. All bids must be submitted in the form of a check made out to “UCF” with “Nans Nickel” in the memo line. The top bidder on July 6th will be awarded the nickel. The big difference in this auction is that all bids will be cashed! When you submit a bid by check, your check will be cashed and be added to the total. So let the bidding begin and check back here for updates!!!
You guys need to make this happen so that I can go back and tell Nans what God did with his buffalo nickel and his faith. Make it happen!
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