On Sunday, November 29, 2015, Kevin Engel shared his giving testimony with Church of the Resurrection. Now a member of Resurrection’s Vestry, Kevin shared his journey and hopes for this new initiative.
When we were first visiting Resurrection in 2011, Jan and I could tell that we were coming into a church that had been on a long journey; the announcements and conversations sometimes referred to the ups and downs and faith-stretching times of the past. So we weren’t surprised that within a few months, the leadership started talking about a new vision for the future. It was part of a new Generosity Initiative called REACH.
In the past, I may have been less excited to come to a new church and immediately hear teaching about giving and generosity. It could be a reason to take a pass. But at Rez, there seemed to be something different happening. God was clearly at work! People had grown much through the journey of the past, and we didn’t want to be left out. No, this wasn’t a time for us to sit on the sidelines. Even though we were newer to the church, we wanted to know that when the generosity results were announced, that we were a part of this journey along with everyone else. So as newcomers, we made a two-year giving commitment and are so glad we did.
That two years of stretched giving turned out to be a faith-building time for us as we watched God provide in ways we never would have dreamed possible. We were honored to be a part of that church-wide spiritual journey.
So with Moved by Jesus, we took a step once again to give in stretching ways—giving not only from monthly income, but also from stored assets. It will be fun to watch God work again to both lead and provide for us!
