GIVE

Happy Sunday! Happy New Year!

Bishop Alexis A. Thomas encouraged us today!  He began with announcing some of the events we will be participating in in the coming weeks.

Our theme for last year was "We are a WELL Church...Walking Examples of Liberated Lives!"  This year we will continue with that theme but expand it a bit.  Our theme for 2014 is, "We are a WELL Church, and This is the Year We Will SEE It!" 

One of the new changes is our weekly broadcast.  Our service is broadcast locally on Sunday evening at 6pm.  Bishop said he had been asked to do a television broadcast many times in the past years, but he always declined.  This year he was led to do it.  Last Sunday he jokingly said that each broadcast was $800.00.  He pointed to a particular member and said, "Lucy feel free to pay for a broadcast."  This week that woman walked up to him and gave him $800.00 for one broadcast.  He mentioned it at each service and other members just started coming forward bringing checks and cash in varying amounts.  I attend the 11am service most of the time.  Bishop wasn't even able to preach due to the number of members coming forward to give their gifts.  One young lady came up and told Bishop she recently lost her job, but she felt the Holy Spirit prompting her to give her last $20.00.  A young boy came up with a few dollars, he began to cry and said, he wanted to give and he was praying that God would bless his mother with enough money to take care of them.  Bishop asked the boy's mother to come up and blessed them with an undetermined amount.  He also blessed the young lady and encouraged them with this scripture..."Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38 (New King James Version)

As the congregation gave, I was reminded that we are to be channels and not reservoirs.  God wants to bless us in order for us to be a blessing to others!  The old church song says, "You can't beat God giving...no matter how you try!"  Malachi 3:10 says, "Feel free to test Me now in this. See whether or not I, the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, will open the windows of heaven to you and pour a blessing down upon you until all needs are satisfied." (Voice)

Love and prayers, Cynthia