Stewardship & Spiritual Gifts
Stewardship is everything we do after we say, "I believe." When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior we know that everything we have and everything we are comes from God. Therefore, stewardship is our response to all the gifts that we have already received--our selves, our family, our vocation, our talents, our past and our future.
God has given each Christian two vitally important gifts. The first is the gift of faith in Jesus Christ, his work of redemption, and thus forgiveness of sin. The second is the gift of one or more special abilities, which are to be used for the purpose of unifying the body of Christ and for the growth of God's Kingdom. These abilities are called spiritual gifts and they are received through our baptism.
Like other presents, it is impossible to fully appreciate and make use of our spiritual gifts until they have been opened. Follow the link below to visit the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Spiritual Gifts Inventory online assessment. This tool will help you begin to open your spiritual gifts by guiding you through the following three activities:
Highlighting scripture: references that both support the existence of spiritual gifts and identify those which are commonly found in service today.
Self Assessment: a list of 60 questions which will help you identify which gifts you have received in greatest measure.
Exploration of Use: suggestions for the various types of ministry you might be most effective in because of your spiritual gifts. These three activities will begin to help you discover and employ your spiritual gifts. May the special abilities God has given you be deployed in areas of ministry where they will be most effective for the good of the entire church body. These gifts should also be affirmed by the body and utilized by the one who is gifted.
Spiritual Gifts Inventory Self Assessment
The Simply Giving Program®
Endorsed by Thrivent Financial Bank
What is the Simply Giving Program?
The Simply Giving Program is a modern-day stewardship program. It's a convenient, safe and simple way for individuals to make automatic payments to non-profit organizations through electronic funds transfer (EFT) directly from checking or savings accounts.
The Simply Giving Program is operated by Vanco Services, LLC, an industry leader in electronic payment solutions. Thrivent Financial Bank has contracted with Vanco to provide transaction processing services for the program at reduced rates.
The Simply Giving® Program endorsed by Thrivent Financial Bank is designed to help you conveniently make payments to a non-profit organization. Through the Simply Giving Program, your payments are made through a pre-authorized withdrawal from your bank account. You determine the frequency of your automatic payment—weekly, semi-monthly or monthly. Your payment is deposited into the organization's bank account on the same day it is withdrawn from your account.
Why sign up?
- Convenience – Payment will still be made if you are out of town or on vacation.
- Security – No checks are needed which means no lost or stolen checks.
- Environmentally friendly – Save on checks, envelopes and postage.
How to Sign Up
To participate print and complete the pdf enrollment form and return it to the Grace Lutheran Church office. For additional information contact the church office. (815)338-0554
