...He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion... — Philippians 1:6b
Dear South Mainer,
A phone call, an email, a notification—there are lots of reasons we drop one thing and move on to others dozens of times each day. It's sort of a way of life now, but there's real satisfaction in not just starting, but in completing a task.
On a deeper level, we feel a sense of satisfaction each time we take on virtues of the Christian life as a discipline and carry them out such that they truly become part of our lives. We should be adding to these each season of our lives. Trying to be a better follower is not a part of life that's ever really finished, but it's also not something we should ever stop doing or put aside even for a time. We should always be open to offering God new ways to make us more and more complete.
If you've pledged and systematically given to South Main in the past, thank you. If this is not a Christian discipline you've taken up yet, I would urge you to do so this year. Committing to give regularly and systematically advances your discipleship from what might be just a Sunday commitment into the rest of your life or your family's life in a crucial way toward wholeness.
While South Main has adopted a budget for 2018 and is seeking generous support from every member of our congregation, our aim at this moment in our church's history is not just to raise money to pay for missions and ministries for this year. As important as that is, what as a church we are also trying to do is to encourage and grow better and more complete disciples of Jesus Christ. Discipleship entails discipline—the intentional shaping of your life toward a goal.
Our theme for our stewardship emphasis this year, "To be made complete...," picks up on this notion. Wherever you are in your journey toward completion in Christ, giving of your financial resources should be a part of that. If it's already a part of your practice to give, we certainly hope you will continue to give generously and systematically. If it's not yet your practice, please start this year by filling out a pledge card or logging onto our website at www.smbc.org/giving to make a commitment to give systematically via auto-draft.
I am confident you'll find that not only is it satisfying to give, but you'll feel a sense of wholeness and joy in being a part of what God is doing through this church in 2018.
Grace and Truth,
Steve Wells
