Wednesday, June 19, 2013

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Giving


Thank you for your interest in financially supporting Five Stones Church. We are supported exclusively by the tithes and offerings of our members and those who attend our services. If you are visiting us, we invite you to enjoy our services without any obligation or pressure to participate in the offering.

We offer several different ways for people to give.

  • Give Online
We have switched to a new online payment company through Fellowship One.
Please click HERE to give a scheduled, recurring donation or click HERE to give an immediate, one time gift.
The first time you use the new system, you will need to sign-up for free; it is fast and simple by using the sign-up link on the giving page.
Please contact our accountant, Josh Loftin, at jloftin@fivestoneschurch.com or 704-675-1718 if you require any assistance as he would be happy to walk you through the process.
  • Give during any of our regular services.
  • Send your check or money order by mail

Benefits to Giving Online

  • You can prioritize your giving in your budget (Proverbs 3:9,10).
  • You won’t have to worry about giving while you are away from home or on vacation.
  • You can increase your faithfulness. Online giving provides a systematic way to help us be regular and faithful.
  • Through online giving, our accounting department is able to expedite your gift and simplify our accounting procedures.
  • As all of us plan and prioritize our giving, we can lead the way for others to grow and mature in their own spiritual stewardship.

Can I schedule recurring donations?

Yes, you can specify whether you want your contribution made one time, monthly, or twice per month. Will I still receive a giving statement?

Will I still receive a giving statement?

Yes, we will mail your year-end giving statement directly to your home address.

What if I change credit cards or want to adjust the date or amount of a contribution?

You can edit or delete a scheduled contribution at any time, including the credit card, date, frequency and amount.

Is online giving secure?

All of your giving data is secured by SSL encryption. SSL is an acronym for “Secure Socket Layer”, a security protocol that provides communications privacy over the Internet. It’s is the same technology used by banks and e-commerce companies to keep your information safe and secure during transactions.

Your information is held securely by the Fellowship One system. This information will remain private and will never be given away to third parties, other than to process your scheduled contributions.

You can schedule new contributions at any time and can modify or cancel those contributions at any time prior to the date they are scheduled. Once the contribution has been processed, however, it cannot be canceled.  If your payment has already been processed and you wish to receive a refund, please contact us and we will refund your payment online.  If you have any problems or questions related to this, please contact us at 704-243-0655 or jloftin@fivestoneschurch.com.

What is a tithe?
As Christ Followers, we believe that we are to follow God’s command regarding tithing. “Tithe” means “tenth” or 10 percent. Leviticus 27:30 says, “A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.” In Malachi 3:8-10 God speaks to His people, “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse – the whole nation of you – because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”

Why is giving so important?
We also recognize that Jesus talked more about giving than the subjects of heaven, hell, or prayer. In Matthew 6:21 and 24 Jesus says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also…No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. In Luke 6:38 He says, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

How do I excel in giving?
The apostle Paul spoke to the new churches about giving. In 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, Paul admonishes the Corinthian church, “Now about the collection for God’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.” He prompted the believers to be generous. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 says, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” And in 2 Corinthians 8:7 he encourages, “But just as you excel in everything-in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us-see that you also excel in this grace of giving.”

What is an offering?
We are stewards, not owners, of what God has given us. Therefore, we see tithing as giving back what is God’s to God (and He lets us keep the other 90% to use appropriately). Any amount above 10% is considered an offering to God. This type of giving is over and above and should also be done with cheerfulness.

Why do we give?
Why do we give? Giving is a privilege. The storehouse spoken of in Malachi is what we consider the local church. By partnering our monies together, God’s work is done more effectively. Even Paul recognized this in the newly formed churches of the New Testament. He tells the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 8:13-15, “Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.”