Core Value: Sharing and Giving

Can we trust in God's generosity instead of believing in the world's scarcity?  

Because we value community and simplicity, we commit ourselves to both sharing and giving. As we are filled up with the abundant love and generous mercy of our Maker, we are able to release our grip on our own resources, trusting that God will provide. We affirm that the basis for our own generous hearts stems from a commitment to believe that God will take the chaos of our own circumstance and make order, as God pours out the best of himself onto his creation. In the face of our deepest fears of insecurity and scarcity, God satisfies us with good things, at the proper time. 

From this perspective, we are able to open our hands, willing to cultivate and care for the land and our own possessions with courage and humility. We share because it promotes authentic relationships and breaks the bondage of selfish possessiveness. We believe the western doctrine of personal property is imperfect and needs to be tempered with the more biblical value of generosity and sacrifice. When we share what we have with others, we confess that God is the true owner, and that we are only stewards of his creation and the resources he apportions us for his purposes. 

We will also give, because in giving we destroy the grip of materialism over our hearts as we release our resources, time, wealth, and possessions completely into the control of another. For that reason we will pursue relentless generosity and the holding of all things in common. We encourage our people to give as often and as generously as they can, and to consider themselves stewards of everything in their care. Likewise, the collective finances of the church and ministries should set an example in this regard. 

We believe that when God asks us to step out, we can move forward in faith towards our trustworthy God, whose generosity leads to our generosity. We value this connection with God and each other, believing that everything we have comes from our great and generous God, as we learn to stop resource guarding and hand over our inheritance for the sake of the whole. 

For more on Sharing and Giving, listen to this podcast episode!