We can give to God in a variety of ways
Serving and Giving
Someone once pointed out that it is possible to give without loving, but impossible to love without giving. The idea of living our lives in a way which blesses others is central to Christ following. Loving God and indeed our neighbour cannot be done without giving. Recognising that God gives us good gifts , not to be hoarded or jealously guarded but to be celebrated and shared is a very Christian idea.
We can give to God in a variety of ways :
Finance
Perhaps most obviously, we can give financially. No community, club or organisation can do the basics without finance; giving in this way makes things happen! Many of our members give regularly using what we call Freewill Envelopes. It helps a lot of people who are tax payers sign up for gift aid ; that way we can claim back more on your giving. We need regular income to pay our bills, to look after property and of course to support mission partners who rely on us to help them overseas and at home. Both Ardtrea and Desertcreat also have Building/ Property Accounts and there are separate envelopes for those ho give . We take pride in keeping our buildings and our grounds in good shape, but regular maintenance is needed.
Time
Secondly we can give to God by offering Him our time. At different stages in our lives we are able to give in different ways. Younger people tend to be rich in neither time nor finances. People in mid life are often better off financially but have little time to give because of family or work commitments. Older people have often less income but more time to give ! Good things never happen without time spent planning and executing plans. In our church communities we do so much and there are endless opportunities to give time, if you have time to give.
Talent
Finally …. We can give our talents back to God. A few years ago, Joe Mahon came to do a TV programme about Tullyhogue. The crew were based at Desertcreat for the best part of a week. One of Joe’s observations is that the people of Ardtrea and Desertcreat and the surrounding areas are unusually creative. He coined a nickname for us ‘ The Desertcreatives’. We are a talented and creative bunch. Some people are great with words or music, some great with people , some are great with their hands, some can encourage, some can pray: everyone has a talent they can offer back to God as an offering of love and worship. Giving of our talents is part of worship.
If you would like to give financially, you can use online banking. If you choose to do so, please leave a note of your 2020 freewill offering envelope number attached to your transfer for our records.
Desertcreat:
Account Number: 17528041 Sort Code: 980450
Ardtrea
Account Number: 17041094 Sort Code: 980450