God's 5 Purposes
For His Church
First United Methodist Church is committed to the Five Purposes
that Christ gave His Church in the Great Commandment (Matthew
22:37-39) and the Great Commission.
Matthew 28:19-20
"And He said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your
mind. This is the great and foremost commandment.'"
Matthew
22:37-38
"And a second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor
as yourself.'"
Matthew
22:39
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations .
. . ."
Matthew
28:19
". . . baptizing them in the name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit."
Matthew 28:19
". . . teaching them to observe all that
I commanded you; and to, I am with you always, even to the end
of the age."
Matthew 28:20
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Dear First Family,
As members of First Methodist Waco, we have experienced
abundant blessings of opportunity and privilege from God, and
it is our responsibility to acknowledge God’s amazing bounty
by seeking to do God’s will on earth. Jesus says, "But
I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for
harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering
fruit for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper may rejoice
together" (John 4:35-36)
Please prayerfully consider how you will
devote your prayers, presence, gifts, and service to First Methodist
Waco and help capture the promise of an abundant life for the
fields we are busy harvesting. Thank you for your loving support
of First Methodist Waco and its ministries! May God bless
you as you grow in stewardship.
Our emphasis is based on
the loyalty vow every member takes when joining the church "to
be loyal to First Methodist Church: and uphold it by your prayers,
presence, gifts and service." By doing
so, you will experience the overflowing blessing promised by God.
God has promised to shower us with abundant blessings
in return for our loyalty and devotion. In faith and love, we
should acknowledge the richness of His harvest through our Christian
commitments of prayers, presence, gifts and service.
Prayers
The Bible says, "'...confess your sins to
one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed.
The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective." (James
5:16) Invoke the power of prayer by practicing this simple acronym
- PRAY - in your
daily conversations with God; Praise,
giving thanks for your many blessings; Repent,
asking God to forgive you for your sins; Ask,
sharing with God your needs and concerns for others; and, You
taking this opportunity to lift up you own supplication to God.
Presence
Jesus tells his disciples, "For where two
or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them"
(Matthew 18:20). Regular attendance at church and participation
in the ministries of First Methodist will surround you with the
presence of God. Your physical presence at church, whether on
weekends or during the week, puts you in contact with other Christians,
nurtures your faith, and inspires you to help others. Make church
attendance a "holy habit."
Gifts
Jesus speaks of the power of the tithe when he
says, "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure,
pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be poured into
your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured to
you" (Luke 6:38). The "Tithe" is the first 10%
of your income; this is the portion the Lord asks you to give
back to him. If you have not yet reached the tithe, increase your
giving by 1% of your income annually until you achieve the tithe.
Service
God relies on us to contribute our time to help
others. Our reward is unselfish joy and personal fulfillment when
we do. As Jesus said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful,
but the laborers are few: therefore ask the Lord of the harvest
to send out laborers into his harvest" (Matthew 9:37). Please
meet your Christian commitment to work in God’s world by
reviewing the enclosed list of service opportunities and returning
the service areas with your commitment card.
In Christ,
Stephen Ramsdell, Senior Pastor |
