A Moment for Mission
"So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above. ... Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." —Colossians 3:1-2, NRSV
Did you know the General Council on Finance and Administration is much more than a legal entity? In fact, GCFA plays a big role in the church's mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ, while nurturing United Methodists on their faith journey.
The Book of Discipline (Paragraph 801) introduces the council's task: "The work of the Church requires the support of our people. Participation through service and gifts is a Christian duty, a means of grace, and an expression of our love to God."
From the GCFA website www.gcfa.org , United Methodists can glean a wealth of information. We can find Frequently Asked Questions—and answers—about the 2019 Special Session of the General Conference, apportionment giving and Judicial Council rulings. Another link provides information about giving to each general church apportioned fund, and a line-item breakdown by conference and general church agency.
But that's not all. The finance agency, branded as UMCSupport, also offers resources, tools and information to assist local churches. These include creative and innovative fund-raising for church ministries, a guide to ministry partners that provide discounts or special offers for United Methodist churches, a quick online resource for acquiring a group ruling for United Methodist churches, an online shopping portal that generates donations for ministries, discounted airport parking for United Methodists, and a group-purchasing portal for supplies and goods ordered by United Methodist congregations.
When our congregation pays its World Service Fund apportionment, we help GCFA fulfill its mission, support the global connection and discover benefits UMCSupport provides. Thank you!
—Adapted from General Council on Finance and Administration website
Offertory Prayer
Loving God, thank you for our church and its many ministries. Set our minds on heavenly matters, not on earthly concerns, as we reach out in love. In your name, we pray. Amen.
From Discipleship Ministries: Eighth Sunday After Pentecost — God of infinite grace and patience, we dedicate to you the gifts we offer, while we remember and confess that we have not always been wise in how we've used the resources you have entrusted to us. We have bought into the thought that in accumulating money and possessions, we can assure ourselves of living comfortable lives. In doing so, we begin to trust more in ourselves than in you. Remind us as we ask you to bless what we give, that we are in fact the ones blessed in the giving and in the trusting. In the name of Jesus, our Savior, who trusted completely. Amen. (Luke 12:13-32)
Newsletter Nugget
The General Council on Finance and Administration has a vital ministry: supporting every United Methodist congregation. That's a tall order, but through a free online newsletter, the agency provides a variety of financial and administrative resources.
That newsletter, dubbed The GCFA Collaborator, is full of helpful hints and innovative ideas. In the July 2019 edition, for example, the agency invites readers to a webinar on copyright, shares the latest trends in event planning (meeting at hotels is so last year!), tells how to increase your congregation's purchasing power while benefiting United Methodist ministries and gives an update on the church's insurance options.
That's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Check out this month's issue and sign up to subscribe! Go to www.gcfa.org/newsletter/.
Thanks to our congregation's support of the World Service Fund, GCFA collaborates with United Methodists to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.