Throughout the month of October and early November, our church will delve deeper into what it means to love God and our neighbor in concrete, day-to-day ways as a part of our yearly stewardship emphasis. The sermon series, “Putting God First,” is based on the book Shiny gods by Rev. Mike Slaughter. Shiny gods refers to all that which distracts us from what matters most to being human.

The “Putting God First” series will include a special day of remembrance on November 3 and culminate in Celebration Sunday on November 10, so please mark your calendars.

God’s grace is sufficient for whatever new doors God is calling us to walk through together. We move forward in faith, knowing that God will work in and through us, regardless of circumstances, as we serve the poor and make disciples locally and throughout the world.

 Series Schedule

October 6 – First: Putting God First . “I want to know at the end of my life that I did something more than eat the food, breathe the air, and have a pretty good life. I want to know that I left it all on the field, sowed all that I was given, and reaped a harvest that will continue to impact lives for the Kingdom long after I have physically left this place. What about you? Join me. Let’s lose our life in God’s love, only to find it.” ~ Mike Slaughter, Pastor of Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church

October 13 – Naming Our Idols. Got idols? It’s hard to believe there are perfectly sane people who dress up and chant out in obsessive worship toward inanimate objects. We are so beyond that? Right? Nope. We still seek life from non-lifegiving sources, don’t we? Shiny things still dazzle and lure us in.

October 20 – Money, Work, and Debt.  Exactly how much is enough? In a culture guided chiefly by shiny, life-promising distractions, “enough” seems elusive and keeps us indebted to that next source of satisfaction. What if the Giver of Life offered freedom from this downward spiral? Would you take it?

October 27 – Be Faithful, Save, and Give. Earning money? Check. Saving money? Check. Giving money? Really? The call of God on our lives invades our finances, urging us toward healthy practices that extend our life influence beyond what we ever thought possible. “This most generous God is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away….”

November 3 – Heart Giving and All Saints Day of Remembrance. What we do with what we’ve got makes all the difference in the world. In fact, what we do with what we’ve got has the power to change the world. True worship calls us to offer our lives, gifts, and resources to God, for use beyond our wildest dreams.

November 10 – Celebration Sunday – Putting God First! Explore one last time what it means to put God first in our lives and to reflect that priority in our giving. This is our chance to respond to God’s call on our lives by committing our prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness to God’s church.