Category: Gestures of Generosity

What does it mean to be a generous person? During this season of giving we’ve explored how we’ve been called to be generous in our lives of faith: our gestures of generosity.

But, what about when our life has ended? Does our generosity end as well? This can actually be a time when we make one of our strongest statements about our faith!

Do you have a will? In addition to your family members, have you named organizations that will continue doing the work you value? Have you included the church in that list?

Gifts like these provide a tremendous opportunity for you to make a powerful statement about your faith. As a loyal giver throughout your lifetime, making a planned gift allows you to continue showing your faith even after you’re gone.

Planned gifts often enable you to make a larger donation. Most annual gifts come from income. Planned gifts come from your accumulated assets when they are no longer needed, allowing you to make a final larger gift.

Planned gifts allow you to maintain the work of the church. A gift from your estate will keep giving over a longer period of time. What could bring greater satisfaction now than knowing your resources are continuing to benefit others after you’re no longer here?

And, planned gifts allow you to establish a permanent living memorial for you or loved ones. Few remembrances are as lasting or meaningful as a living memorial that continues to minister to others in Christ’s name for generations to come.

Our church has been blessed with some very faithful givers – providing a final tribute to enable us to continue our mission.

One of those we celebrate every year on the first Sunday in March. The Augusta Jeffrey Award was a planned gift established to honor Augusta Jeffrey, a fervent volunteer and church member, while also recognizing the volunteer efforts of other church members. The money from the gift goes to support a ministry of the church of that year’s award recipient’s choosing. Over the years, many of our church members have been honored by this thoughtful and planned gift.

Other members have also thought of the church with one last gesture of generosity. Some have given from their estate, Russ and Margaret Leicht gifted us their cottage on the bay that we could later sell, and Lucia Stanfield wanted us to “dream big” with her dream fund to enable us do something that we might not otherwise be able to do without her gift.

Recently, Gene Reynolds promised to remember our church in his estate. Many years ago he purchased life insurance to provide for his wife Joan and their children. Because that financial assistance is no longer necessary, Gene has decided to honor Joan’s life and service to the church by making us the beneficiary of that policy. Gene’s thoughtful gift in memory of Joan will be used to help people in need, either through our pantry, Tank School, or by enhancing our church’s audio system to improve the worship experience for all, and especially those with hearing-related needs.

What does it mean to be a generous person? Studies often talk about characteristics like altruism, enthusiasm, energy, gratefulness, humbleness, optimism and patience.

While all these traits are probably accurate, John the Evangelist, boils it down to a single word: Love.

16 We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters. 17 How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? 18 Little children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.

1 John 3:16-18

Let these words be your guide as you show your gestures of generosity both in the coming year and for the many years to come.

The Communications and Technology committee is excited to share that our @FirstPresGB YouTube channel has debuted!

Please visit First Presbyterian Church of Green Bay – YouTube to watch the latest and greatest from our video gallery, and while you’re out there please SUBSCRIBE!

Our complete collection of Gestures of Generosity videos are on the channel for your viewing. Our first video, Motivations for Giving, was shared during worship earlier in October. Even if you viewed the videos when they premiered during worship, they’re worth viewing again so please visit our channel. And, if you missed it in worship you haven’t missed out altogether – visit our channel!

Thanks to our videographer, Tom Shoffelman, for your incredible, creative, talent! And, although our Gestures of Generosity videos are complete and commitment Sunday has passed, it’s not too late to turn in your pledge card so please send those in soon.

Our worship video archive will remain housed on our Facebook Livestream video archive.

What does it mean to be a generous person? Generosity is defined as the spirit and action of freely and frequently giving to others.

During this season of giving – as we contemplate our own pledge to the church for the coming year – we’re exploring how we’ve been called to be generous in our lives of faith. After all, Jesus talked about generosity often in his parables and sermons.

Did you know that giving is actually good for you? There’s science to back this idea up! Studies have shown that giving of your time, your talent and your treasure benefits the giver in multiple ways:

• Giving makes us feel happy; it actually activates regions of the brain associated with pleasure and releases endorphins which improve our sense of well-being.
• Giving is good for our health. It’s been shown to lessen stress, a risk factor for high blood pressure, heart disease, and other conditions.
• And giving is contagious. Think about our pay it forward campaign from a few years ago and the people who picked up on the idea and did something similar.

But don’t just take science’s word for it. Listen to what your fellow church members have to say about how giving has positively affected their lives.

Kirke Ryder says that being generous – whether it be through the giving of his time, money or expertise – makes him feel happier because he knows he’s helping make the world be a better place. He says he finds it very rewarding, pointing to his support of Feed My Starving Children for the past nine years. Knowing that he’s helped feed countless children and turned their lives around for the better is a feeling of joy that Kirke says can’t be matched.

Judy Knutzen-Nerad knows that exact same feeling. She says being generous gives her tremendous joy because she knows she’s making a difference in someone else’s life. Even more than the tangible gift being given, Judy believes it’s the love the person feels that’s the real benefit, knowing that someone cares and that they are not alone in their time of need.

Even the smallest among us understands this joy. Loni McCormick’s granddaughter Grace recently gave her a gift of love that warms both their hearts. Grace spent an entire afternoon drawing Loni a picture, and then cutting it up into little pieces and placing them in a Valentine box. Grace wanted Loni to have all those little pieces of her artwork because she knew they would make Grandma happy and show how much she loved her. The box sits on Loni’s headboard, quietly awaiting the next gift of specialness from Grandma’s sweet girl.

In economic terms, giving means we have less than what we started with, but science, the Bible and our fellow church members teach us that when we give to others, we gain. In Acts chapter 20, verse 35 we hear the words of Jesus who said, “It is more blessed to give than receive.” This heartwarming quote reminds us that giving to the church to help us fulfill our mission can bring a great sense of fulfillment and joy to the giver.

The story of Jesus’ ministry is filled with examples of generosity. Jesus sets a high standard of giving and caring for others. As we learn how to adopt gestures of generosity, let us continue to look to Jesus as the ultimate expression of generosity and sacrifice.