Christian stewardship is our response to God’s generosity to us, Christ’s lordship over all aspects of our life, and our complete dependence on God. We give in gratitude because God has given so much to us; we give as part of our commitment to following Christ; and we give to be partners with God in His work in the world.

We are all asking God, “How do you want me to take the next step forward in giving?” Some of the next steps we are considering together: 1) attender to first-time giver, 2) first-time giver to consistent giver, 3) consistent giver to generous giver, 4) generous giver to sacrificial giver, and 5) sacrificial giver to joyful giver.

Giving a tithe (10%) of our income is instructed by God to continually reshape our lives as stewards, not owners, of all that we are and have. The people of Israel gave a tithe to support the worship and ministry of the Temple and the needs of the poor. Tithing is mentioned rarely in the New Testament because the expectation is both assumed and exceeded. The rationale: how much more willingly, gratefully, and joyfully will we give in response to the eternal blessings we now have in Jesus?

Scripture teaches that we are to give back to God our “first fruits,” meaning the primary and choicest of our possessions. God modeled this by giving us his beloved Son, Jesus. Planning to give out of our first fruits means setting aside our offerings to God as a priority in our financial planning, ensuring that he gets our “first and best.” First fruit’s giving increases our reliance on God, causing us to lean into God and trust that when we give our best he will supply the rest.

A pledge is our personal giving target (our intent) for the year, made as 1) an act of faith that God will continue to provide the resources, and 2) an act of commitment to the community and mission of Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church.

Completing a pledge can be a statement of faith – a chance to make a tangible commitment of faithful financial stewardship. A pledge can be a helpful planning tool for us and our families, providing an opportunity to look ahead and plan our financial stewardship thoughtfully and prayerfully. Our pledge made in November, followed by our regular giving this next year, is an act of faith and commitment that will help WCPC thrive in this coming season of ministry.

There are a few ways to pledge 1) online through this link, 2) return a completed pledge card to the church office at 1801 Lacassie Avenue, Walnut Creek, CA 94596 or in the library dropbox, or 3) email [email protected]

Individual pledges become part of the financial giving record of the church and that information is made available, as needed, to operations staff of the church and Stewardship Team Elders.

Our general fund budget is built to support our local congregation – as we care for the sick and hurting, support children and families, challenge and encourage our students with the gospel, provide excellent and reverent Sunday worship, train our people in Christian formation, and equip for ministry as we love and serve our city and world. Included in the General Fund are our operating expenses plus our support for local and global ministry partners.

If we consider WCPC our home church, faithful and generous giving should go first and primarily to the community where we invest most of ourselves and where others invest in us. Many people also support other “kingdom of God” causes and organizations above and beyond their support of the General Fund.

Every year, our Session approves an annual budget based on prayerful assessment and practical consideration of how God is calling us to carry out the mission he has given us. Because we operate on voluntary giving, and we do not know what our income is going to be, we approve a budget target we believe our congregation has the capacity to hit. We do not base our budget solely on our pledges, but by God’s grace and our faithful giving, we hope to receive the amount needed to cover expenses.

A giving goal is the total General Fund contributions for the WCPC congregation for the year, rather than total General Fund income or total expenses. Our giving goal for 2021 is $2 million. This level of giving helps us to reach sustainability and puts us on a path of being able to increase our budget next fiscal year to meet our operational and ministry needs. In January, we will begin including our giving goal compared to actual giving once a month in the Sunday Worship Folder.