It’s measured by generosity in: - Time - Commitment - Money

Before the beginning of time as we know it, God loved you and me, and He made a heart decision to be.. Extravagantly generous to us in order to prove His love.

Jesus thought it was so important it was the basis of 11 of his 39 parables

Money can:  Give us a false sense of security  Promise satisfaction – but is never enough  Distort God’s blessings into things that take us away from Him

 Malachi 3:8-12 NLT  [8] “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. [9] You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me.  [10] Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! [11] Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies. [12] “Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

 1.] God says, “Put me to the test”  2.] You cannot out-give God  3.] Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse

If it’s out of obligation or you think I’m telling you to

Do it out of love and willingness - With a spirit of generosity

 Do I have to give 10%?  Should my giving be gross or net?  What if my partner isn’t a Christian?  What if I can’t afford it?  Do I just decide each week what to give?

 National Church/Salaries £40000  Mortgage £16000  Building maintenance £10000  Administration and consumables £ 7500  Gas and electricity £ 3700  Mission £ 3500  Youth and children's work £ 3000  Putting on events £ 2800  Insurance £ 2600  IT telephone £ 1250  Council tax £ 650  Waste disposal £ 540  Visiting speaker expenses £ 500  Books and literature £ 300  Water £ 260  Mission top-up* £ 3300 Total£95,900

 Tithes - Gift Aided£36500  Gift Aid refund£14500  Other income £ 5200  Hires£ 4200  Tithes - small Gift Aid£ 3850  Tithes non-Gift Aided£ 3350 Total £67,600 Ahhhh.. There’s a gap!  Southwall Rd Leases (L&B and Pre-School)£29000 Total £96900 Hooray it balances!!!! But….

 Only six month’s salary for the Pastor - For a full year we wouldn’t have enough   No other major building expenses, roof etc.  This budget is really to stand still not drive God’s work forward to fulfil our Vision and Mission - We want to invest in the areas God is leading us – Tiny Toes, Youth, Evangelism etc