Seed Faith Promise

A Faith Promise Offering is a once a year miracle offering. It involves giving beyond your limits – sowing into a great cause and taking a step of faith.

Faith Promise giving is something that is done above and beyond your regular weekly/ monthly giving to the church. It must not be confused with the biblical practice of tithing (giving 10% of your income and increase).

Most often, what God instructs you to give will be more than you think you are personally able to contribute (or currently have available to give). Remember, this is sacrificial giving and faith is required.

In 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, Paul says that the Macedonian believers were willing to give, not only what they could afford but what they couldn’t (they had to trust the Lord to supply their needs). The story of the widow of Zarephath in 1 Kings 17:8-16 is also another great example of biblical faith giving.

God uses this type of giving as a means to further the work of the kingdom, as well as stretch our faith and bless us. However, it is important not to be presumptuous. Whilst sacrificial giving is stretching and may involve going without something in order to give, it is not giving your food allocation so your children can’t eat, or your rent money so you end up being evicted. That would be foolishness. We have to exercise biblical wisdom, discernment and responsibility in giving, whilst at the same time allowing God to stretch our faith.

Faith Promise giving involves prayerfully asking God how much you should give to the specific cause, hearing him, discussing this with your family and then making a firm commitment to give in the way that God has led you.

For some of us, acquiring our Faith Promise gift may mean sacrificing something that we wanted to purchase. For others we might get a creative idea as to how we can raise the desired amount (e.g. sponsored run or sky-dive, car-washing, etc.). Or perhaps God might even bring some miraculous provision your way to enable you to give the gift that you want.

In line with the overall prophetic word that God has given LGCC for 2010, “Seed” is the name that we are giving to this year’s Faith Promise Offering. Isaac sowed precious seed in his famine-struck land – and God blessed him bountifully and supernaturally:

“Then Isaac sowed seed in that land and received in the same year a hundred times as much as he had planted, and the Lord favoured him with blessings” - Genesis 26:12 (Amp.)

Paul also promises that God will multiply seed back to us as we prioritise his kingdom cause.

”Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work... Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God” - 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 (NIV)

These are exciting days for LGCC! The church is growing on all fronts and God is leading us into new and unchartered territory. However, as we seek to move forward with the vision that God has entrusted to us, we need to secure additional finance so that we can embark on the journey ahead with due financial diligence.

The current church finances (based largely on the tithes received from the majority of our members) are sufficient to sustain what we have, but are not enough for us to move forward in the way that we believe God is encouraging us to do at this time. There are a number of staff, ministry, mission and building-related initiatives that we would like to implement costing in the region of £80,000 – and this is what this year’s Faith Promise Offering will be directed towards.

All these areas, in one way or another, have an impact on our goal of growing to 1000 people and our vision to reach our locality and beyond with the good news of the gospel.

The following is the list of designated items that we would like to direct the Faith Promise Offering towards. They are listed in priority order, not in terms of an item’s value but in terms of where additional finance is most needed at this point in time.

(Please note that at least 10% of what we raise will be designated to organisations or causes outside of LGCC including the Compassion Child Survival Project in Mbale, Uganda, Christian Concern for Our Nation and Care.)

Out of the money we raise...

… the first £25k will be directed towards:
Staff recruitment – as LGCC expands and develops, we are at the point in which we need to strengthen our administrative, network, and community/evangelistic infrastructure in terms of personnel …

the next £10K will go towards:
Community-facing ministries – we would like to invest in enhancing community-based ministries such as The Extra Smile Project, G7, SOAR School of Arts and other areas through which we can be a blessing to our local community

… the next £5k will go towards:
Minibus purchase – as well as being used weekly for G7, purchasing a minibus will enable us to start a shuttle service for our Sunday morning service, bringing people to the church such as the elderly and disabled who might otherwise not be able to attend …

the next £10K will go towards:
Overseas mission projects – we would like to invest in our missionary work and partnerships overseas in nations such as Uganda. We also want to continue to explore which nation to adopt for our long-term missionary plans, and investigate how we can be a tool of influence for Christ within the Islamic world.

… the final £30k will be directed towards Building security, renovation and expansion – we wish to either commence or continue work in the following areas: upgrading security systems, building maintenance, new flooring in the upper & lower levels and children’s rooms, mezzanine conversion into offices, sports hall conversion into theatre/150-seater auditorium, youth building redevelopment, relaying of dance & drama studio floors and the renovation of the old building.

Any additional finance raised over £80k will go towards the current building development fund.

For illustrative purposes, if we assume that there are 200 young people or adults in our congregation who are able to give...

2 people giving £5000 = £10,000
20 people giving £1000 = £20,000
30 people giving £500 = £15,000
70 people giving £350 = £24,500
56 people giving £175 = £9,800
12 people giving £50 = £600
10 people giving £10 = £100

Total = 200 people collectively giving £80,000

Please do not feel shackled by these suggestions. You may want to give more. You may only be able to give less. But we believe that if each person gives in the way he or she has been directed by God, then we will reach this Faith Promise Offering target of £80k

The plan is to run the Faith Promise Offering from July-December 2010, with specific gift days on Sunday 18th July, Sunday 19th September, Sunday 21st November and Sunday 19th December.

However, regular giving on a monthly basis either via standing order or the special coloured giving envelopes that can be put into the offering baskets during any service is also encouraged and may be the preferred option for many people.