Winterim 2014January 26th

9:30am

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014 I am the Church, you

are the Church, we are the Church together.”

We lift our voices, we lift our hands, We lift our lives up to You, we are an offering.”

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Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses…

Let us run the race not only for the prize.

But as those who’ve gone before us, let us leave to those behind us

The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives.”

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014 Oh may all who come

behind us find us faithful

May the fire of our devotion light their way

May the footprints that we leave, lead them to believe

And the lives we live inspire them to obey

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful.”

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Take my life and let it be Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;

Take my moments and my days, Let them flow in ceaseless praise”

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Take my silver and my gold, Not a mite would I withhold;

Take my intellect and use Every power as Thou shalt choose.”

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The Church in America is dealing with a seismic shift toward a post-Christian culture.”

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18% of the population in the USA attends church (i.e. worship) in a given week.”

85% of U.S. churches are not growing—or are dying.”

In 50% of churches last year, no one came to faith.”

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Only 2 in 10 young adults who had been active churchgoers in high school are now in church regularly.”

80% of the congregations of the LC-MS reported 3 or fewer adult confirmations in 2010.”

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Challenges (Opportunities) facing our congregation:

Lack of clarity in our vision for the future.

Lack of involvement of members in worship and ministry.

Space.

Staffing.

Updating our facility and maintaining it.

Funding.”

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Lack of clarity in our vision for the future.”

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Lack of involvement of members in worship and service.”

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Funding.”

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014 Christian stewardship

is the free and joyous activity of the child of God and God’s family the Church, in managing all of life and life’s resources for God’s purposes.”

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Brothers and sisters, the challenge we are facing at Trinity is greater than a lack of information about the financial condition of our congregation!”

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The biggest challenge to funding in our congregation is the culture in which we live.”

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014 The seed that fell among

thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.” (Luke 8:14)

The Parable of the Rich Fool:

This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:21)

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A consumerist culture has infected and afflicted the Church in America.”

Since 1929/The Great Depression, Americans are 450% richer after taxes and inflation…

Win

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014 …But giving as a % of

income among American Christians (to their congregation) is lower today compared to the height of the Great Depression.”

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The human heart is the greatest challenge or threat…”.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)

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There are three conversions necessary: the conversion of the heart, the mind, and the purse. Of these three, it may well be that we moderns find the conversion of the pocketbook the most difficult.” (Martin Luther)

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014 Demographic study of

congregation indicated that the Financial Potential of membership…also labeled Estimated Congregational Household Median Income was……

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Almost 37 million dollars!”

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014 @ 2%=$735,000

@ 3%=$1,102,000 @ 5%=$1,837,000

@7%=$2,573,000 @ 10%=$3,675,000

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014 What does this

mean?”

It means our congregation has the capacity to ask an amazing and exciting question on July 1st of every year.”

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What are we going to do with the surplus giving from the past fiscal year?”

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Video: The Plate”