Tag Archives: Generosity

Cedar Blog

The Practice of Generosity

The Practice of Generosity

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5

When we abide with Jesus, we become like Jesus. This is the premise behind our desire to grow in spiritual practices. These practices mold us to be more like Jesus and they bear fruit.

We recently explored the practice of generosity and discovered that it is about giving our stuff and ourselves away. I’m curious what fruit has come from our giving.  I’m not sure how to measure the giving of our stuff but I heard a number of stories about sharing. If measuring the fruit of giving ourselves, I’d measure time given.

For the month of June, I asked leaders to share the number of volunteers and the number of hours they served. (I asked them to estimate – conservatively.) The fruit results blew me away. By our conservative estimate, more than 370 people donated more than 1,766 hours!

Well done good and faithful servants!

Broken into categories it looks like this:

  • Leadership Ministries – 52 people donated 130 hours.
  • Discipleship Ministries – 111 people donated 724 hours.
  • Worship Ministries – 69 people donated 195 hours.
  • Outreach ministries – 138 people donated 717 hours.

Of course, it’s challenging to pin down the exact category of these donated hours because so much ministry overlaps and bears fruit in multiple ways but my main take away was this – YOUR GENEROSITY IS A HUGE BLESSING!

Thanks

Kent Landhuis
Pastor of Teaching & Leadership

Did you enjoy this article? Did you laugh, cry or learn something new? Let Kent know.

    Cedar Blog

    Giving Season

    Giving Season

    It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It’s the time of year when every day I receive mail, emails, and texts from various organizations requesting donations. Charities, ministries, animal shelters, foundations, humanitarian causes, nonprofit institutions – they are all asking for gifts.

    This annual barrage of requests for my money used to annoy the heck out of me. But I’ve been rethinking this in two ways. First, I give thanks that so many organizations commit to making our world a better place. Nonprofit organizations do so much good! Second, I give thanks that so many generous people give to support these important causes. Did you know that individuals donated $319.04 billion in 2022? That’s billion!

    Did you also know that December giving accounts for roughly one-fourth (26%) of annual nonprofit revenue? That includes the church and we are a 100% donor-funded organization. We have no trusts or endowments or corporate sponsorships. We depend on the generosity of God’s people for all of our resources.

    We are making the world a better place. We offer hope to a world in need of hope. We feed the hungry and encourage the outcast. We help every generation flourish in faith. We make a difference and we depend on your generosity to make that happen. Your giving to Cedar Hills matters.

    I am so thankful to be part of a congregation committed to making the world a better place. And I am so thankful to be part of a congregation of generous people. And I am so thankful it is giving season.

    But wait there’s more. God promises blessings to those who give generously. Consider this great promise in 2 Corinthians 9:6 – “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”

    The Lord be with you,

    Pastor Kent

    P.S. “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:7-8).

    Kent Landhuis
    Pastor of Teaching & Leadership

    Did you enjoy this article? Did you laugh, cry or learn something new? Let Kent know.