8002 U. S. Highway 301 South, Riverview, FL 33578 813-677-5995
What Kind of Christian Do I Want to Be?
Maybe it’s my age, the fact that I’m in my 40th year of full-time ministry, or that I’ve been a bishop for a while, but for some reason, I’ve recently been asking myself, “What kind of Christian do I want to be?”
The interesting thing about my response is that it always begins with the kind of Christian I don’t want to be.
- I don’t want to be one kind of Christian in public and another kind in my private life.
- I don’t want to be the kind of Christian who claims he wants to do God’s will but goes ahead and does what he wants to do instead.
- I don’t want to be one of those Christians others look at and say, “Well, if he’s what a Christian is like, there’s no way I want to be one of them.”
I want to be someone who actually experiences the love of God, which is more powerful than all my insecurities, failures, and mistakes. I want to accept Jesus’ invitation to be in relationship with Him as Lord and Savior every moment of every day, and to be his follower all the time. I want to become the person God dreams for me to be, regardless of what’s going on in my life, because the love of Christ is transforming my attitude, beliefs, temperament and actions—transforming me from the inside out. I want to be a Christian who is head-over-heels in love with Jesus for all eternity.
But, most of all, I want to be a Christian who so loves other people that I can’t wait to share God’s love with them.
So how about you? What kind of Christian do you want to be?
Bishop Gary Mueller,
President of the General Commission
of United Methodist Men
"Jesus Has A Word for You"
Pastor Louis Telcy's Sermon of 09/22/2019
Our 2020 Stewardship Letter
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; there I will wait for him.” (Lamentations 3:21-24 NIV)
Throughout the month of October, members of Riverview First United Methodist Church shared their hearts for ministry. They reminded us that when we took our vows to join the church, we promised to faithfully participate in its ministries through our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service and our witness. As we consider the financial future of our beloved church, each of us would do well to consider our stewardship obligations.
We know that not everyone will be able to give in response to what they have received. Difficult financial times may present a challenge to some families. But we do ask everyone to give what they can. The worst situation is not giving anything at all.
A recent newspaper article spoke about charitable giving in difficult financial situations. “Americans are cheerful givers,” it said. “They donate more money per person than anywhere else in the world. Most households keep on giving even during rough stretches-though some give less, and some stop giving all together. However, when the heart wants to give, nothing can stop it.”
We ask you to print and complete the linked Faith Promise Card and to return it to the offering plate or to the church office. The Faith Promise Card consists of two parts: a place for your financial contribution, and a place for you to indicate how you intend to pledge your service in the coming year.
We have identified three financial areas of need for the church:
- The General Operating Fund covers the day-to-day operating budget of the church. Our church must be completely funded in order to maintain our existing staff and ministry levels, to meet our connectional obligations, and to keep the lights on.
- The Building Fund is designed to fund the emergency maintenance required to keep our aging campus buildings and grounds in good repair.
- The Legacy Fund is our savings account that we plan to use to jump start a capital campaign that will replace old cooling systems and roofs, add a playground, modernize our youth building, replace signage, and generally make our campus more appealing to younger families.
Prayerfully consider your support for RUMC. Giving begins with sharing what we have. If you have faith in the work of our church within the community, you may even have to sacrifice something you desire in order to keep our beloved Church going and growing in ministry. When you complete the attached Faith Promise Card it will empower this church--your church--to care to share!
You may return the card via email to rvrviewumc@tampabay.rr.com, bring it to worship on Sunday and place it in the offering plate, or drop it off at the church office during the week. Your response will help us make plans for the coming year and beyond.
My brothers and sisters at Riverview First UMC, we need to embrace the acceptance and mercy that God shows us through the resurrection of Jesus Christ with an “attitude of gratitude.” God’s favor is not something that we deserve; we just receive it via the grace of our Lord Jesus. With this same attitude of gratitude, I am asking you to join us in this Stewardship Campaign—believing in God’s abundance and in our ability, through God’s grace, to provide the resources that will allow our church to do great things together!
Think of this Stewardship Campaign as an opportunity for each of us to give a gift that can make a difference. It is an invitation to discover the joy of giving in response to all that we have received. It will require a choice, and it may even require a sacrifice. But I want to challenge you to listen to your heart and consider this giving discipline for the next year; see if you don’t see a change-in yourself, in your walk with Christ, and in the community around you. As you joyfully give, do so in the expectation that our church can continue being an important and faithful resource for Christ in Riverview.
Rev. Louis Julner Telcy
Pastor, Riverview First UMC
