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I only work out my left leg at the gym. 
Can you imagine? 
I've heard of people "missing leg day" (only focusing on working out their upper body). And you can generally get away with giving more focus to either the upper or lower body. But imagine how strange it would be to give preferential treatment to one leg while allowing the other to weaken. 
Picture looking down and having one leg rippling with muscle and the other, well, a little weaker than it was last year. A funny sight - ha! 
At some point running would get strange. And then even walking would become challenging. This is why I'm not only working out my left leg (in case you didn't pick up my gest earlier on). I haven't even been going to the gym, for that matter ...sigh... but that's another story. 
You get the point, though. Excelling on one side of your body while falling behind on the other is no way for a healthy body to be built. 
This past Sunday I included a brief update on our church finances through the first quarter of 2022. We've noticed some interesting trends; one to celebrate and another to give a bit more focus to. 

  1. So far this year, we've given more than last year as a church. And this is wonderful! Already this year we responded with generosity to some important priorities: Ukraine relief, Planting 5 Churches in India, and our Next Generation Special focus for this year. As a result, our overall giving compares favourably to last year. Well done! 
  2. Also, so far this year, we've given less to our "General Fund." And this is worth drawing attention to. Compared to the same point last year, we are lagging. As a result, after the first quarter, we sat close to $13,000 behind budget. This isn't cause for grave concern, but we do have some ground to make up if we'd like to stay on track for the year. We are blessed to be in a position of strength and also, if needed, our council and finance committee can craft some adjustments to ensure our budget can flex to meet key operational and ministry targets in front of us this year. 

For those who may wonder, our General Fund is the avenue that our regular tithes and offerings are given. The General Fund is what empowers our operational budget, children's & youth ministries, congregational & community care, Sunday & live-streamed ministry, and necessary administration (and much more!).
What can we do? 

  • Let's continue to put God and people first! 
  • Let's continue to trust God - He is the ever-faithful & generous provider to each one of us! 
  • Prayerfully consider how you can give consistently to the general fund through the year
  • If you're meaning to catch up on your giving plans for this year (it happens!) you can do so this month, or spread the difference out over the rest of the year  
  • If you're receiving a tax refund this year, consider a special offering to the general fund 
  • If you're newer to our church family, you can join in the spirit of generosity and faithfulness that fuels the work of God through CPC 

We have the better part of 2022 still in front of us. And, some parts of the year result in even more giving than other parts of the year. So, it's only natural to anticipate great ministry and God's ongoing provision ahead of us. 
On one hand (or shall I say leg?), we are grateful for the increasing strength and gains experienced in our giving in response to special priorities. While on the other, we need to give a bit more proportionate attention to our General Fund. 
These are two good legs to stand on -- for both exist for God's glory and for the message and ministry of Jesus to be experienced here and everywhere!  
Pastor Mik