Northfield Methodist Church

Dear Friends
Warm greetings. June is GENEROUS LIVING MONTH. During this month we want to explore the adventure of becoming a more generous and giving person in all aspects of our lives - in our relationships with loved ones, with our neighbour and with God. It is our hope and prayer that our journey together will also lead us into a deeper experience of the generous love that God has for each one of us.
There are a few guiding convictions that may be helpful to keep in mind as we journey together.

• Generous living involves becoming the person God wants us to be. Have you ever considered the implications of being born in the image of God? Surely this means that we have been made in the image of the Generous Lover. When we are not being generous in giving, we are then going against the very image of God within us. On the other hand , when we are being generous and loving we are being more truly the person God wants us to be. As Henri Nouwen helpfully explains: "Our greatest fulfillment lies in giving ourselves to others"
• Generous living is the natural consequence of falling in love. Have you noticed that the first thing that usually get touched when we genuinely fall in love is our heart? The second thing that gets touched is our wallet. This is true of all love relationships. Giving and sharing are the first signs of being in love with another person, because to give and to share are the most natural things to do when we are in love. The same applies to our love relationship with God. As we grow in love with God it is natural to grow in generosity towards the work of God in the world. Our giving and our sharing are signs of our genuine commitment towards the love relationship we have with God.
• Generous living promises freedom. The greatest gift that comes from generous living is the freedom we experience. No longer are we enslaved to stinginess, greed and our own wants. We find ourselves living in a far more spacious and bigger world. It is the world of God and others and miracles! We can only find this out for ourselves as we embark upon the adventure of generous living.

We really hope you enjoy the worship and the teaching during this month. We hope that we are going to have both a fun and serious time.
God Bless
The Ministry Team