As we center on the theme of Thanksgiving today, and the next few days, please take a moment to reflect on the blessings God has provided, in spite of the challenges with CV19, and a world in chaos. God is still faithful, He is still God, and nothing has changed in His immense love and blessings abundantly poured out to you.
Over the past several months the local giving of our church has been greatly depleted, keeping us running about $2,500 - $3,000 below what we need each month to continue on as a church body. Even in the weeks we didn't meet, we still had the obligations to our monthly mortgage, school subsidy, utilities, and upkeep with the building. We are our grateful to you, and to the gifts given to this point to the local church budget, however we still find this deficit, and our prayerfully working through this as a leadership team to catch up with our giving, and managing our expenses.
When you give online, there is a virtual envelope, which in many ways mirror what you will see in paper. When you mark an amount on the line for "Tithe:, this completely by-passes the church, and goes to the Texas Conference, and up the chain all the way to the General Conference. None stays in the local church at all.
So what pays the local bills? When you mark "Local Church Budget", 100% of the funds given here stay local and pay our expenses. In fact, when giving locally, this is the best place to put your gift, as it then allows flexibility in how the local giving is distributed, for maximum affect on mission and ministry in local context.
As you continue to return a faithful gift to God, we wanted you to know how the money is distributed. In summery, tithe goes past the church, and on to the Texas Conference, and beyond, while gifts to the local church budget stay here, and help us with the mortgage, school, ministry, utilities, and other operations here at LSDA.
You can give online by the link below, or if you don't feel comfortable yet doing so, it can be mailed by check, or someone is also willing to do a curbside pickup. Just let us know if you prefer something other than online giving. We will also work to get a post office box to secure any gifts coming via mail.
Note: If you have not yet given online, it is safe, secure, and easy to do. If you have given online, you will note how simple it is to place your money where you want, set up a debit card or direct withdrawal from your checking account. It makes the process of giving simple, and it also allows you to give whenever you choose.