Dear Cornerstone Family,
As we receive an encouraging report today on the fiscal health of Cornerstone Presbyterian Church (see report below), it’s appropriate to briefly reflect on three key aspects of the Bible’s teaching on giving.
1. Giving is a spiritual discipline that requires forethought and planning. At the end of 1 Corinthians, Paul speaks of the collection for the saints, and he says, “On the first day of the week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come” (1 Cor. 16:2). Notice, Paul teaches the Corinthians to set aside a portion of their resources each Sunday for giving to the work of the Lord and meeting the needs of the poor. Paul knows that if we’re not intentionally setting aside resources and preparing to give, we will fall into the trap of using that money for other things. Setting aside your giving on the front end helps ensure that the Lord has first place in your budget.
2. Giving is to be commensurate with your income. In the passage I quoted above, Paul says to set “something aside” in keeping with how “he may prosper” you. He teaches the same principle in 2 Corinthians 8:12 when he says, “For if the readiness [to give] is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.” Paul recognizes that resources rise and fall, and that our giving will rise and fall, too. He’s instructing us to give proportionally, and to not be bound by a certain number, dollar figure, or percentage. But to instead, let your giving track with the normal ups and downs of income.
3. Give generously, cheerfully, and sacrificially. In Luke 21:1-4, the rich were placing large sums in the offering box, but a poor widow placed just two small copper coins in the coffer. Jesus says of her, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” On the surface, this principle appears to undermine principle #2, but that’s not the case. Instead, the Bible is placing us in good biblical tension. We’re being called to look at what we have and consider our basic needs, and then sacrificially invest in work of the church. The fact is we’re not sacrificing if it doesn’t cut into our lives. We know we’re beginning to practice biblical giving if we’re restraining our spending in order to support the work of ministry (see Acts 2:42-47).
By placing these principles beside each other, the Bible’s inviting us into the wisdom of a giving pattern that’s discerning, generous, and sacrificial (2 Cor. 9:6-15). As those who have been given so much, let’s not try to get away with giving as little as we can. Instead, let’s joyfully prove our earnest love for Jesus Christ by giving to the church in a manner that reflects, even faintly, the generosity of the gospel.
Cash Position
Total cash position on March 31, 2024 was $565,000.
Major Projects
YTD renovation project expenditures were $540,000 at the end of this quarter.
The Chapel mortgage was fully paid off this year for $660,000.
These expenditures are reported on the balance sheet and are not included in the budget expenses above. They impact our cash position, but not our budget performance.
Your servant,
