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Stewardship at First Church in Cambridge
What return shall I make to the Lord for all God's gifts to me? [Psalm 116]
First Church is precious to us, but our inner life and our mission in the world do not unfold and thrive by accident! They depend on the generosity of everyone who belongs. God has given us great riches of faith and hope to share with each other and the world, and a splendid heritage to pass on to our children. We respond by being good stewards of these gifts. And that means we give of ourselves. The practice of Christian stewardship leads us to employ our "time, talent, and treasure" in God's serivce, so that we can care for and build up the church for the sake of the world God loves.
Time and Talent
Do you like to teach? Do you enjoy serving meals and creating a hospitable environment? Do you have a listening heart, a leader's gifts, a desire to care for our buildings or lead our worship through song and prayer? Are you an artist? Can you spend some time with someone who is sick? Do you have a gift for working with the youth, the poor, the homeless, the refugee? Is your gift in community organizing, fundraising, planning, deploying human resources? Are you a wise counselor? If you answered yes to any of the above, our church needs you! And you need to give!
Nowadays, we all lead busy lives, and time seems like a rare and precious commodity. There are few better ways to use it, however, than by offering our talents for making our faith community vibrant, welcoming, and compelling. Everyone benefits when through our self-giving more light, mercy and truth is poured out into the world.
How can you get involved? Contact a member of the Nominating Committee, or talk with Dan Smith or Mary Luti. They will help you discern where you may best put your time and talent to use for the good of all.
Treasure
Financially, First Church is entirely self-supporting. Without the generous gifts of everyone who participates in our community, we could not have the thriving life we now enjoy. Good stewardship involves financial support of the church. This support comes in many forms; for example --
Annual pledging -- The pledge is our yearly commitment to support the church by donating a prayerfully-discerned percentage of our annual income. Pledging is the basic buiding block of financial stewardship at FC. For more information about pledging, please read and reflect on the brochure, "First Church, Pledging, and You."
Special gifts and offerings -- Every year we invite special gifts for special occasions such as a youth mission trip, or a gift the church wishes to make to an external project in collaboration with another group or church.
Planned giving, bequests -- First Church has been the beneficiary of many generous gifts of the past. Each generation has a responsibility to the next. Therefore, we encourage all our members and friends to leave gifts to the church in their wills. This kind of giving extends our good stewardship far into the future. If you would like to include First Church in your will and need some guidance about this matter, please speak to the Chairperson of the Stewardship Committee, the church's Treasurer, or one of the pastors.