Why We Give
-by Paul and Jan Longhofer
The issue of giving was resolved for us a long time ago. Jan and I attended a Bible based money management course that was a precursor to the current ‘Financial Peace’ course offered at Chapel Hill. We came to understand that everything we have is a gift from God. We are custodians of what we have, not owners. For us, the tithe was not optional. It was a privilege and it was a great way to assure that we honor God faithfully. We found that a separate bank account for our tithe was ideal.
Deciding where to make contributions was more of a challenge. There are so many good causes that need money but Chapel Hill was the easy choice. Jan and I rattled off our reasons for supporting Chapel Hill in no particular order: the focus on grace; Chapel Hill is our home; great preaching; wonderful children’s programs; great music; opportunity to grow and learn; a place that focuses on serving others; beautiful campus and facilities; upbeat youth programs; a place to serve God and others; a loving caring community; and on and on. You add to the list.
We had this last item recently reinforced for us at a lunch with a neighbor who does not go to Chapel Hill. She is in a fellowship group with some members—her comment was right on, “Chapel Hill gives a real meaning to being in community-When they say they will pray for you—they pray for you.”
Thank God for that.