Why St. Andrews?

If you’re still thinking about Gratitude and Why St. Andrews,:

Two of our young families shared their thoughts:

Why do we give to the church?

We joined St. Andrews in early 2009, and it is fair to say that our pledge in the first few years was done more out of obligation to give rather than a connection or strong belief in the process. Our perspectives on this have shifted throughout the years for one primary reason – the people of St. Andrews. We have come to love the people of this congregation much like an extended family. They have shared in our joys (most notably through the births of our children), and have provided comfort to us in times of trouble. After Jeff’s car accident in early 2014, a church friend came over (no questions asked) at 6:30am to care for our children so that I could meet Jeff in the ER, and one of our first calls was from then interim pastor Mary Jane Cornell who reached out to us in prayer. We had countless cards, meals, and words of encouragement along his path to recovery. It is the people at St. Andrews, who have shown us (and continue to show us) what it is to be faithful Christian servants.

As we have gotten more involved in the church, by serving on session and stewardship respectively, we have seen more closely how our church dollars are used and feel strongly about their impact in our church, our local community, and our world. We see these dollars at work each Sunday through the talents of our leadership team (pastors and musical staff), we see them at work in the summer outreach programs where kids giggled uncontrollably in our puppet show, and we see them at work supporting worthy missions near and far. How many times have you donated to a charity and wondered exactly where that money went and how it was spent? At St. Andrews, you have a unique opportunity to see exactly how our collective financial resources are used.

For us, the answer to the question “why do we give?” is simple – because we want to. We want to support St. Andrews so that we can continue to “do good” in our world. We want to support our local community by offering programs and ministries and a place to worship. We want to support our youth and help provide unique mission opportunities that will forever impact their lives. We want to support our larger world through our financial gifts. We want to support our church and we are excited about the future where we as a church family can accomplish great things together in the name of Christ.

Rachel and Jeff Nelson

Why do we give to St. Andrews?

More than anything, we want our family to be a blessing to others. We believe that starts with charity, and not just in a rote tithe or deduction, but in thinking and understanding why we are giving, and to whom or to what we are giving. We also believe it’s important to remember that giving time is good, but it’s only one part of our task as Christians. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:21. Our hearts are at St. Andrews and with its people, our community, and the world, and we believe that giving, without letting fear for the future override our generosity, is how we show that.

Laura & Bret Moore