In the mid-19th century, Philip Schaff came to America from Germany to teach at our seminary in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. A decade later Schaff returned home to lecture. He told his former countrymen how strange things were across the ocean.
Among the oddities Schaff had to explain was separation of church and state. A natural result was that churches and their mission efforts had to be supported by voluntary contributions.
Really? Pastors in Germany were paid by tax dollars. Their buildings were built and maintained the same way. Missionary efforts, orphanages, hospitals, help for the poor – these were all private outreaches that required individuals to give freely.
In America, if you believe in God and want to spread his word and change your world as an outreach of faith, you have to help make it happen. Nobody can make you. You have to want to.
I sure hope you want to. You’re a part of Corinth Reformed Church, and we do a lot of good. We comfort the bereaved, we give to the needy, we help those struggling in marriage, we encourage the downhearted.
In the last three months, we have confirmed 21 young people after a year’s worth of training in the faith. We honored 33 young people and adults on “Graduation Sunday.” We sent 25 people to a remote, rural village in Guatemala to help them learn about Christ and establish better health. We took dozens of kids to various camps. A combined total of 7227 people heard the Word of God across 13 Sundays.
In the weeks to come, hundreds of children will “sail the high seas” to learn in Vacation Bible School. Dozens of young parents will learn critical parenting skills for the early years. Job seekers in our church and community will gain both encouragement and help. Future pastors will travel to Chicago to learn how to bring new life to dying churches.
You help. Every time you make one of those “voluntary contributions,” you help change the life of a child, teenager, or adult – close by or far away.
So far this year, we’re barely keeping our head above water to keep doing what we’re doing. Even if we have a strong December, we still need 8%+ of our annual budget in revenue EACH MONTH from now through November to finish well. That’s more than $86,500 a month in collections, and it is higher than our average so far this year.
So please give generously. We’re in this to serve Christ together. The only way it happens is if you do your part.