Supporting our parish.

"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matthew 6:21

How do we respond in thanks to God for the great gifts we have received? That is an individual decision. At Grace-St. Luke's, the basic principle of stewardship is to give genereously out of thanksgiving and according to one's means.

As Christians, we are called to return to God a portion of what we have been given. By giving a proportion of what we have, our giving will always be within our means. The Old Testament standard is the tithe or 10% of our income or posessions. Some of us at GSL are tithers. Others of us see the 10% tithe as a minimum goal toward which we continue to work. While it's not realistic to expect every member to become an instant tither, we can each grow year by year in our individual stewardship of God's gifts to us.

One of the best ways to achieve this growth -- and more fully experience the joy of giving -- is to commit to a long-term plan based on proportional giving. What you give is entirely up to you or your family. However, here are three suggestions:

Determine the percentage of your income that you gave last year and commit to increasing your pledge by 1% per year until you reach the tithe. For example, if you gave 4% of your income last year, give 5% this year, 6% next year and so on.

Establish a set percentage increase over the prior year's gift - for example, 20% - and increase your gift by that percentage each year until you achieve the tithe.

If you have not given before, a simple place to start your plan of giving is to establish a set percentage - and begin.

The most important thing is to respond in a way appropriate for you. Grace-St. Luke's needs our involvement and our contributions in order to carry on God's work. Only with your pledge for 2010 can we continue to Know Christ and Make Christ Known.