Returning a portion of our financial gifts back to God is an important facet of our Christian discipleship. Just like singing and praying, intentional giving is an act of worship, and that's why we dedicate part of our Sunday service to the ritual of "passing the plate."
Read through this booklet, follow along with the weekly cards and prayerfully consider how you can give with financial intention toward the Kingdom work of Second-Ponce. Find this info and more at www.spdl.org/october.
WHAT'S YOUR GIVING PERSONALITY?
For those who like the communal ritual of giving:
• Drop your intentional giving plan in the offering plate during Sunday morning worship
For those with busy or unpredictable schedules:
• Use our simple & secure online giving portal at www.spdl.org/give
• Set up Second-Ponce as a "bill pay" option while online banking
For those who like to plan ahead:
• Post-date checks and offering envelopes as far in advance as you like and return them to the church office. They will be applied to the church budget and your giving record on the specified dates.
For those who are still figuring out the intentional giving process:
• Turn in your intentional giving plan to the church office during regular business hours
• Mail the intentional giving plan to SPdL "Attention: Comfort Ellis"
SOME FAQS our story This our song
2024 INTENTIONAL GIVING GOAL $1 MILLION FROM 100 CARDS
Dear Church Family,
We begin this season of intentional giving, with Blessed Assurance by praising our Savior all the day long.
Since we last focused on the financial part of our Christian discipleship, our church has:
Gone on retreats
Participated in camps
Welcomed new members
Tried new things
Deepened partnerships
Shared God’s love with our neighbors
Hosted community leaders
Transformed spaces
Expanded our prayer lives
Found joy in being together
And in these opportunities, we've added new paragraphs to our church story and new verses to our song. "Blessed Assurance" not only refers to the steadfast love of Jesus, it also reflects the unwavering love of our church family.
Each October, Second-Ponce moves through a churchwide intentional giving process. Together, we'll prayerfully consider how to best use our financial gifts to further our church mission and do God's work in the world.
This year's theme—This is Our Story, This is Our Song—is a five-week focus on the ways financial discipleship reflects our faith, love, prayer, praise and gratitude for God's provision.
Week 1: Giving is Faith | John 6:1–13
Week 2: Giving is Love | 1 Corinthians 16:14; Mark 12:41–44
Week 3: Giving is Prayer | 1 John 5:14–15
Week 4: Giving is Praise Hebrews 13:15; Romans 12:1–2
Week 5: Giving is Gratitude | 2 Corinthians 9:15
So, let's do this together ... Considering what's possible, sharing stories and songs and praising our Savior all the day long.
With Blessed Assurance of His love, Your 2024 Intentional Giving Team
Dr. Dock Hollingworth, Senior Pastor
Gayle Suggs, Discipleship Council Chair
Patti George
Dr. Karen Harwell
SOME FAQS
What is Intentional Giving?
Each October, we carve out time to focus on the financial gifts we give to God. After a month of thematic Scripture, prayer, sermons and activities, church members submit an estimate of their financial gifts for the coming year. We use this information to plan a (mostly) accurate church budget.
Isn't that the same as stewardship?
The short answer is yes; however, our refreshed approach to this process makes space for the spiritual journey, not just the financial destination. The word stewardship will always be part of our church language. In fact, stay tuned for new opportunities to be good stewards of ALL God's gifts.
What do I do with the cards in the packet?
The cards included in your intentional giving packet are designed to engage our church family in intentional giving at the everyday household level.
You are encouraged to carve out time each week to read the Scripture and prayer prompts and participate in the suggested activities. These cards can be incorporated into your individual prayer time or nightly dinner conversations. They can also be used to create new opportunities for fellowship like committing to a weekly coffee date with a fellow church member for the month of October.
What is an Intentional Giving Plan?
Your Intentional Giving Plan (formerly called a Pledge Card) is an estimate of your giving for 2024. It is not a binding contract. We use the information collected from these cards to consider what's possible when we plan our church ministries. A few examples include:
• Ministry Experiences | Can we offer scholarships for children & youth activities?
• Campus Maintenance Can we make parking lot upgrades?
• Outreach | Can we host a special event for newcomers who frequent Sunday worship?
• Salary & Benefits | Can we hire needed church staff positions?
• Inreach | Can we print special prayer and birthday cards to send to our church family?
You can change your estimate (up or down) at any time during the year. Email Comfort Ellis, our Controller and Benefits Administrator, to make adjustments: cellis@spdl.org.
To record your commitment in Realm, visit: https://onrealm.org/spdl/AddPledge/intentgiving2024
filled with his goodness, lost in his love
Tom Lewis Aaron Payne
www.spdl.org/october
Rev. John Uldrick, Associate Pastor Jim Weldon
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