How to Give
Stewardship is part of the Christian life. At Haygood Memorial UMC we commit ourselves to living our faith through our prayers, our presence, our gifts, and our service. A significant part of that committment is how we give from our resources to financially support the work of Haygood.
There are various ways to give through the Haygood congregation that will touch lives in Morningside and beyond
GIVE BY SCHEDULED PAYMENTS THROUGH YOUR BANK - You can create electronic payments through your banking institution, payable to Haygood Memorial UMC. This is easy for you and also makes a regular contribution to the ministry support of our programs. If you have questions, call your bank for more information.
GIVE THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP - Each Sunday morning we participate in worship by offering to God our financial contributions. When we sing & pray & share our faith, we also take a weekly offering to support our ministry budget. We always conclude the offering by singing the Doxology, our thanksgiving for the goodness of God.
GIVE BY SENDING YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS DIRECTLY TO THE CHURCH - Many in our congregation choose to mail their support to the church office. The address is 1015 E. Rock Springs Road, Atlanta, GA 30306. If you would like them, we will provide you with offering envelopes prepared for mailing. Call the church office at 404-872-9613.
WHY DO WE GIVE? Once a little girl in church who had a dollar she had got for allowance, wanted to give part of it for the offering. When the usher came she asked, "Can I get change for a dollar?" Her embarrassed mother quickly gave her a quarter to put in the plate, and told her to put the dollar in her pocket. Obviously, you can't get change for a dollar!
Is it possible to get change for a dollar? Can we get true change in our lives? Can a transformed life result from a small commitment? What motivates people to give of their time and their resources to the work of the church? It is a simple question with a wide variety of answers. Why do you give to the church?
Do you give as a response to eloquent words? It is just the right sermon, just the right scripture, just the right presentation that does it? Jesus told great stories about possessions: the rich young ruler, the prodigal son, and the widow's mite, to name a few. We can hope that one day in a Bible study a phrase or a passage might get you to think. And maybe over time you decide that God is asking more of you than you previously understood. But no pastor is so naive as to think that someone comes into the sanctuary on Sunday planning to give one amount and changes their mind because of the preacher's winsome or challenging message.
Do you give in response to authority? The Bible teaches that the tithe is the biblical standard. Tithing is what many persons learned as a child from parents, and what they have heard in the church. But Jesus tends to indicate that the tithe is not the goal of giving but rather the beginning point. Few persons give to the church because some passage or someone told them they had to.
Do you give in response to manipulation? Sometimes this works, especially for televangelists. They really put on the hard sell, don't they? If you only give then God will pour blessings into your life. Most often they are very manipulative about it, saying almost anything if it will get folks to give more. If the right words were the key to giving, then we'd figure out what they are and just say them; if authority was the key, then we'd just exert the proper authority and the giving would increase; if manipulation actually worked for all churches, preachers would do this all the time!
But Jesus' example of giving was anyone who gave out of a generous heart. No church leader could match it; no stewardship committee could manufacture it; no preacher could coerce it. The real motivation for generous and faithful giving in the church is from a heart that wants to love and serve God. The Christian use of money is an example of the depth of faith and commitment to God.
The Stewardship Committee at Haygood asks that you give serious prayerful consideration to how you commit yourself and your resources to the church. Your life will be transformed by faithful disciplined giving of your prayers, attendance, financial stewardship and our service to God in and through the church.
May God's spirit lead and guide you. May your generous heart share what love can do.
