| I Need $50,000.00 by August 31... |
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| Dr. Chuck Terrill |
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How do you talk about money? For some reason, the subject of money, especially when preached from the pulpit, is upsetting to some people. I will make no apologies for preaching about tithing this coming Sunday, July 24, 2011. I have been preaching about the revival that came to Jerusalem under the leadership of Hezekiah. In 2 Chronicles 31 we see that the people respond to the revival in the temple of their hearts with uncharacteristic generosity. In reading these verses, it appears that when church worship was being neglected, the people felt no real reason to give. They didn’t see much going on with the Levites or the priests; not too many people were attending church, so they decided not to give. The result of their neglect was that the church didn’t have the resources needed to pay their preachers. The preachers took other jobs, to meet the needs of their families. The temple continued to spiral into disrepair. The needs of the poor were not being met. Believers were being ridiculed because their poverty made their God look poor. What a sad state of affairs! Did you know that financial neglect of the Lord’s work has the same effect today? Unlike the church of Hezekiah’s day, at VCCC we are not neglecting the Lord. We are worshipping well. We are continuing to grow. Because of the blessings of God, our church desperately needs an additional minister. There is so much work to do! But, the needs of people are being neglected, especially in the area of teen ministry. We are growing, but to make it past the 200 attendance barrier will require an additional minister. Church Growth Statistics reveal that one minister per each 100 people is the happy norm. We already have enough people to need an additional minister, we just don’t have enough money to support an additional minister. As your present minister, I have a vested interest in promoting the addition of paid staff. What is it? I am tired. That is a little more transparent than I usually get, but it is true. I am tired. My ministry intentions remain good. I still have a strong drive. I just don’t have the time I need to fulfill all the needs and functions of this ministry. What would it take for VCCC to hire an associate minister? I believe a “nest egg” of $50,000.00 would do it. “Fifty thousand dollars!” you might say. “Where would we get fifty thousand extra dollars!” Where do you get big money like that?
From you. From all of you; the faithful participants in kingdom growth and life. Mary and I will be digging a little deeper to help. I know that the elders will, too. Please give our Lord $50,000.00 dollars over and above your regular giving by August 31. You can earmark it on your check. I have faith, but I need to know that when we hire another minister we can pay his salary. You have faith too. Put your faith into action. |