We spend on what we know.  This is a well-known concept in advertising and merchandising.  The purpose of advertising is to make the consumer aware of the products and services available so that he or she will understand how those products and services relate to their lives. The consumer will then be motivated to make their purchases.  They spend because of what they know.

It is the same for stewardship and the Church. We support what we know and what we understand.  We support it because we know what our Church does.  We know that the role of the Church is to provide the facility, the resources and the programs so that people can experience the presence of God in their lives and come into a living relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ.  The Church does this through a variety of ways which include pastoral care, Christian formation, public worship and social outreach.

In today's restricted situation because of COVID 19, we do not see a lot of this work going on, but it is still taking place.  Worship by YouTube and live streaming, Christian education by zoom, pastoral care by phone and socially distanced meetings.  We still have people coming to sit and pray in the church because this is a holy place where they can feel, in someway, the presence of the Holy One.  And all of us need the encouragement and inspiration of the worshipping Christian community to empower us to live and share our spiritual life.

Spending our stewardship money to support our local church is an important part of our spiritual life.  It is an active part of our relationship with Christ and it is a way for us to make a difference in our local community.  Reflect on what you know about the place of our local church in your spiritual life and spend (support) accordingly.