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As we prepare to enter the Christmas season, I want to share three thoughts I hope will help and encourage you. 

In 2012 we started our special annual Christmas offering called, A Gift for Jesus Our Lord. It was a simple concept: Invest more in your Gift for Jesus than any other gift you give this Christmas. Shouldn’t Jesus receive the largest gift from you on His birthday? It has been our largest single offering each year which reflects the seriousness, the meaningfulness of this time to demonstrate we truly want Jesus to be first in our lives. We will start receiving this special offering on Sunday, December 12th. 

Second, if you have children at home, here is an idea that may help you as much as it has helped me. I want my children to enjoy Christmas, receive gifts and have many wonderful memories. I do not, though, want to plant seeds of unbridled materialism and greed in my children. Therefore, we give each of our children three gifts at Christmas (following somewhat the pattern of the wise men giving Jesus three gifts of gold, incense and myrrh). We scale them from the more expensive to the less expensive – the big gift, medium and smaller gift. 

Lastly, let me say a word about consumer debt. Most of our church has gone through Dave Ramsey’s 9-week course called Financial Peace University. We learned the value of avoiding consumer debt and living within our means and our budget. May I tell you as your Pastor, it is not okay to incur consumer debt just because it is Christmas. Those who control their consumer spending are better able to invest in the kingdom of God. I hope this word challenges and saves you from much future debt.  
(Psalm 37:21 - The wicked borrows and does not repay, but the righteous shows mercy and gives.) 

Whatever you can give, rejoice and do it for Him since He is the greatest gift of all! 

Trevor Davis 

Pastor 

PS     If you give online, please consider using the ‘cover card processing fees’ option. This option adds the processing fees of giving online to your gift. Therefore, GCC does not have to pay those fees.