We all saw a great picture of giving in worship in each of the last two weeks. On Sunday, December 3, we had 160 singers—75 in the adult choir and 85 in the children, tribe, and youth choirs—all join together to make a beautiful offering to God. Some sang louder, some sang more quietly. Some followed the person beside them, others led the way—but all together, they gave a beautiful gift to God and to us.
South Main has seven singing choirs and five chime or bell choirs in the Family Ministry (birth through high school). Among our adults, we have a brass ensemble, a bell choir, and our smaller choral groups called Agape and One Accord, all in addition to the Sanctuary Choir. The beautiful music you hear each week happens because we put our gifts together and share them as an offering to God.
It should be noted also that our music ministry requires more than many voices. It requires money for it to work, as well—sheet music, instruments, tuning, clean rehearsal space, HVAC, lights, not to mention staff to coordinate the planning and lead the volunteers—but it works so well because we share these burdens together as a church.
As of the time of this writing, we need $891,796 in order to fully fund our 2017 budget. To put that in perspective, that is $42,466 per day or $1,250 per family in the church. This calculus presumes an even distribution among our congregation, but for reasons mysterious to me, the Holy Spirit has a disinterest in evenness, and rather a fixation on inclusion. We are unlikely to give $42,466 each day and only a few families can give $1,250, but just as our music becomes most beautiful when so many of us pool and share our gifts together, the church's work becomes most beautiful when we all put our efforts and resources together and offer them to God.
To this end, I encourage each and every one at South Main to join Missy and me in considering what you can give to the budget before the year ends, as we all join our gifts together for God's Kingdom.
Here are two easy ways for you to give electronically—both are safe and secure:
- Give online via credit card or e-check here.
- Give via text message to 713-999-4142. Simply click and hold the number, select send message, type the amount of your donation (e.g. $100), hit send, and you'll be guided through the rest of the process.
Grace and truth,
Steve
