“SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE”
Members and friends of Portage Faith United Methodist Church thank you for your gifts! The collective generosity and talent of our Portage Faith congregation amazes me! Together we are able to accomplish ministry that is both life-giving and hope-delivering.
God created people in God’s image as generous. Like God we are “givers.” Life and all that is necessary to sustain life comes to us as a gift from God. The way we say thank you to a God who loves us dearly is by giving back. We complete the Lord’s joy when we offer our first fruits and our best.
In October 2024 we celebrated Blanket Sunday, dedicated our stair lift (a gift from Dorothy Caldwell), received a special offering for our church’s connection to Portage County public water system ($12,250.00), and responded to people devastated by Hurricanes Helene and Milton through the United Methodist Committee on Relief ($3,055.00). This is remarkable generosity!
We grow gardens, crochet blankets, make delicious soup, and volunteer to care for our church so that we are able to give to others. And when we serve others with gifts of comfort and care and empower people to make new beginnings in their lives Jesus tells us we are really serving him.
And you know what? Generosity produces joy in us! We don’t give to God or to other people because we expect something in exchange. But when we give, we become aware of unexpected blessings all around us. Generosity changes the way we see the world and act in it. Generosity produces more generosity. Giving to others and giving back to God improves our outlook on life.
Generosity is our way of saying thanks. Thank you, God, for being with us from the beginning and blessing us on our way. May we continue to be as generous as the bounteous God who promises to be near us through all of life.
With a grateful heart and with joy,
Pastor Bill
