Dear Cabramatta Anglican Church Family,
We rejoice that you have continued to give so generously through
the hardship of the past 18 months. We give thanks to God for you,
the Gospel, and the life we share in together. We know that many
of you have had to adapt to new circumstances to work and study.
Some have lost jobs. Some have lost hours.
As you can see below, our giving as a congregation has decreased
by $12,465.40 compared to the same period last year. Whilst we still
have enough money to pay for staff, property maintenance, and
fund various church ministries, it is largely due to the increased
giving from the Mandarin and Cantonese congregations. We give
thanks to God for all those in our church and their continual
generosity.
One of our roles as church leadership is to ensure that our
community encourages each other into generosity. Being
generous is one of the greatest gifts that God can give us. It means
we are being set free from the prison of worrying about money,
and the security, attention, and power that it promises.
A lot of what the New Testament authors say about money is
directed towards giving to the poor, especially those belonging to
the household of believers. That is the primary calling for our
generosity. The church has always understood that this kind of
generosity is not optional for followers of Jesus.
At the same time, giving is God’s plan for funding his work in and
through the church. We see this in Jesus’ teaching to his disciples
in Luke 10:1-9, and in Paul’s instructions to the churches in
Galatians 6:6 and 1 Corinthians 9:1-14.
Giving is one expression of our partnership in the gospel together.
What can you do?
Firstly, if you are in financial hardship, please let us know. The
gospel is good news to the poor, as we know our possessions are
not our own, but entrusted by God for sharing with one another.
We don’t like to see some go without while others have plenty.
Secondly, if you follow Jesus, are a member of Cabramatta
Anglican, have not yet begun giving, and are able to do so, please
start now. Church members give to their church. We really want to
maintain the capacity of our staff team, grow our ministries as the
city comes back to life, and support our mission partners. If you are
unsure where to begin, feel free to speak to us. We are happy to
share with you our family’s finances as well as our giving, and how
we got there.
You can find out more about how to give at cabra.church/giving
Thirdly, if you are currently giving and your financial capacity has
increased, would you consider directing a portion of that additional
giving to Cabramatta Anglican? If our current giving members
increased their contributions by $12 per week, we would cover our
present deficit of $12,465.40 by the end of the year. That would be
remarkable.
We would love to see our congregation not only become
self-sustaining in 4 years, but also grow to the point where we’re
able to bless others financially.
In all this, please take seriously our commitment to transparency
and integrity in all things financial. If you would like to see our
audited accounts, or know how much the Wardens pay our staff
team on behalf of the church, you only have to ask.
Our Partnership Series will begin on 10 October 2021 where we
celebrate God’s work in and through us, and present our
finances in more detail. We encourage you to take the time to
consider the Partnership Series.
Your brothers in Christ,
Will, Hien and Rob.