Dear ,                                          

                                         CONSECRATION SUNDAY!
We invite you to celebrate the joy of generosity by bringing your 2010 "Estimate of Giving" Card for Consecration Sunday on November 8. Our challenge is to discover "Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity." This Sunday's message is "Defined By Generosity!" When is enough of the world's goods enough?  Through our gifts to God and others, we invest in a vision which God has for His people and enable His church to reach out in Mission and Ministry to our community, our nation, and our world. Through the Isle of Hope United Methodist Church our tithes and offerings become the means through which God transforms individual lives, transforms communities, and renews the world.
 
Giving is a matter between you and God. Why is giving important? The Bible has much to say about wisdom and money. Jesus taught his followers to serve God and not wealth. He tells us that God will require an accounting for what we do  with our possessions. Some Christians have it  wrong. They say, "give to God so that God will bless you." In truth, God has already richly blessed us, and our motives are wrong if our only reason for giving is to receive more from God. But the truth is, also, that as we give the blessings seem to multiply.
 
The Bible teaches the tithe (10%) as the standard God expects of His people. This is not a legalistic requirement, but a response of God's people to a loving God who has showered us with blessings. For some, the tithe may be a difficult goal. Others may already be at the tithe or beyond the tithe. The important thing is that God only expects you to start where you are and seek His guidance to be all He created you to be. If you are now at 2% or 5%, seek to move us another 1% or 2% until you reach the goal which you and God together have set for your life and response to Him. The key is allowing God to help you experience the joy of simplicity and generosity.  Everything we have belongs to God. The "Estimate of Giving" which you make on November 8 may be increased or decreased at any time by simply calling the Church's financial office. So trust God and think big. By developing a simpler lifestyle we can be more generous toward God and others.
 
In II Corinthians 9:6 we find these words: "The one who sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." Life teaches us this lesson also. We do indeed reap what we sow!
 
Plan to be present on November 8 for Sunday School and one of our three services of worship. Following the 8:45 AM Sanctuary Worship Service, we will have refreshments and fellowship under the tents outside. We will do this again following the 11:15 AM Anchor and Sanctuary Worship Services.  Seeking to be good stewards of our resources, we will not serve lunch on this Consecration Sunday.
 
I look forward to seeing you on November 8 as we "Discover Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity." WE ARE BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING!
                                                                                                                        
                                                                                               Dick Reese