Being Obedient in Using God’s Gifts in Ways that Honor and Please Him

OBEDIENCE TO THE LIVING GOD

We, here at the First United Methodist Church of DeLand, believe that God is faithful to lead us in all areas of our lives. He has created a world where we can live and he provides for our physical and spiritual needs. These things he does with great love and generosity. Philippians 4:19 says, “You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus.”
All that God requires of us is OBEDIENCE. He calls on us to be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit. He wants us to be faithful in our times of Prayer and Worship. And he asks our obedience through our Witness to others, in Study of the scriptures, and in our commitment to Tithing.

As a community of believers, we are striving to be OBEDIENT.

GIVING YOUR TIME AND TALENT

God has given to each person specific gifts and abilities he wants us to share with others in the church and the community. In using your gifts, you may wish to serve on one of the administrative committees such as the Trustees, Staff Parish Relations, Finance, Stewardship, the Vision Team, Nominations, or the Administrative Board. We also have opportunities for service through the ministries and missions of our HOME Team. It is designed to let people volunteer in areas matching their greatest interest. Hospitality is concerned with shepherding new members into the church and helping them get involved, as well as Bread Delivery, Coffee Fellowship, Greeting, Ushering, and being Liturgists. Outreach activities focus on providing help in the community through such things as the Interfaith Kitchen, The Florida United Methodist Children’s Home, and the Emergency Disaster Response Team. The Membership team is responsible for services to our own members through the Prayer Team, Lunch Bunch, Shut-In Visitation, Small Groups, and Sunday School. The Environment team works to prepare the Church facilities for those who come seeking a place for worship, healing, fellowship, and study.

Members are urged to select at least one area of service and fill out the Opportunities to Volunteer form each year.

SHARING YOUR TREASURE

Through our obedience, it is our goal to become a tithing church. This means that through study and reflection, we commit a certain percentage of our incomes to financing the church’s ministries. In the Old Testament this share that was returned to God was a “tithe” of 10%. In the New Testament, we are instructed to set aside a “percentage” of our assets to be used by the church.

We at the First United Methodist Church of DeLand ask that you make a commitment to give faithfully and regularly any amount with which you feel comfortable. It is our hope that you will then increase this percentage as you feel called by God, working toward a “tithe.”

A Prayer for Faithful Stewardship

“O Lord, my God, what is Thy will for me today? What task hast thou for me? What opportunity hast Thou placed in my way? Open mine eyes that I may discover Thy will! Save me from wasting the new day! May I turn it into eternal profit!”
--John H. Jowett

The Steward’s Mindset

The Bible makes it clear that in the eternal perspective, we own nothing. Psalm 24:1 says, “The Earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.”

We came into the world with nothing, and we will leave the world with nothing. Everything we have while we are here has been entrusted to us by a loving God who created all things and who retains ownership of everything he created.

The gifts that God has entrusted to us include Time, Talent, & Treasure. It is our responsibility as stewards, or trustees, to manage these assets in God’s best interest.

LITANY
Deuteronomy 33:13-16

For the precious things of heaven, the stars, the sunsets, the clouds, yes, even for the storms,
We thank Thee, Lord.

For dew sparkling in the sunshine, the deeps of the ocean, and the stillness of little pools,
We thank Thee, Lord.

For the wealth of crops from the sunlight and the wealth of produce, month by month, the beauty and the bounty of growing things, the verdant and the fertile land,

We thank Thee, Lord
.
For the chief things of the ancient mountains and the precious things of the lasting hills, majesty, serenity, power,

We thank Thee, Lord.

For the brilliancy of mind, good will, and love that radiates from friends,

We thank Thee, Lord.

--Otis Moore