Faith Promise Commitment
Supporting Global Missions
How does Calvary fund their Global Missions program?
Calvary 's Missions program is budgeted and funded separately from the money that comes in as regular offerings. The church offerings do not supplement the missions program. In order to give to missions you must indicate the amount of your check that your want designated and write “missions” on your check memo line or offering envelope. Moneys not designated for missions go into the general offering.
How do you determine your Missions budget?
Each year during the month of March, Calvary has a Missions Conference and during that time we challenge our congregation to participate in our Faith Promise Giving for the next fiscal year (July 1-June 30). By June, we use the faith promise commitments turned in to finalize our budget. By faith, we plan a bit beyond what is committed because there are always some who would rather not make a commitment and also there are times that God provides extra unexpected gifts (such as estate gifts). Calvary Church currently supports 89 missionary families. (You can find out more about them from the New 2006 Global Missionary Guide available in the Worship Center lobby come March 4.) We need to know how much we can count on to send our missionaries each month and fund the balance of the mission program. We also need to know how much money will be available for sending out new missionaries.
What is Faith Promise Giving?
A faith promise is an agreement made with God to give (to missions) over a specific period of time, by faith trusting God to provide the funds in various ways, above your regular offering. We ask that you pray first and then fill out a Faith Promise card with the amount you feel God is leading you to give for the next fiscal year. The card does not request your name, so the decision and commitment is between you and God. But, the cards give the Mission Team some idea of the amount the church family has pledged.
Who can make a Faith Promise?
God gives to all of His children - rich and poor - the privilege of giving. Our giving is a test of our love. It is also a test to see if God can trust us with the money He gives us. Everyone must make up his mind as to how much he should give. God says to never force anyone to give more than he really wants to give. He loves a cheerful giver. We should not give, wishing we could keep it. God loves it when we give because we want to give. When we make a Faith Promise commitment we promise to give God more than we have right now! We pray and decide on the amount that we trust God to help us get and then we promise God that if He provide it, we will give it back to Him. We need to be careful not to use this money for our own purposes. Remember, this is a promise only between you and God.
What are the results of Faith Promise giving?
Joy, blessing, increased ability to give, thankfulness to God, and it will bring glory to God and help spread the gospel.