DISCOVERING CREATIVE WAYS TO INCREASE MY CASH GIFT

We are calling June 1, BIG Sunday. The BIG Sunday offering will be both a cash offering and a commitment to give over the next 36 months. Obviously, the more we are able to give in cash up front, the sooner we will be able to create an updated look in our current meeting room on Sunday mornings and make a purchase on land.

At first thought, most people do not think they have much cash lying around to give. But with a little creativity… and by taking advantage of the four weeks we have until the offering … each of us can probably come up with a sizable cash gift. And together it will all add up.

Here are some creative ways that people in our HOJ family are already considering:

• Eliminate all eating out for the next month. Save that cash to be added to your offering.
• Hold a garage/yard sale. You probably have a garage or closet full of unused items that could be converted into cash. It is estimated that the average resident has at least $500 in assets sitting unused in his or her home.
• Take a second, part-time job for one month. Some members are moonlighting in order to be able to give more on BIG Sunday, June 1.
• Have everyone in your family locate the spare change in your house and begin collecting it all in one giant piggy bank.
• Postpone a major purchase for a few more months in order to give more.
• Make crafts and sell them to raise additional cash for the offering.
• Give stock dividends, stock, bonds, or tax refunds.

Basically, there are two approaches to finding more cash to give:

• Look for ways to reduce your expenses.
• Look for ways to increase your income.

By using a combination of these two during the next month, you’ll be able to give far more cash than you thought. Be creative! Imagine… if 200 families in our church each found an extra $500 cash to give through these ideas - that alone would total one hundred thousand dollars!