Treasurer's Cents

Andy Schleupner, Treasurer

Synod of South Atlantic

“God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor 9:7) My apologies if that verse needed a trigger warning first, but rest assured, I’m triggered right alongside you. For anyone who grew up in a church that made you feel guilty unless you gave a certain amount, this verse will always need some framing and context for us. The first thing to notice is that there is more to this verse than this phrase. In fact, this phrase is at the end of the verse and is a result of what comes before. As Paul instructs us, joy is not found in the obligation to give. Joy is rooted in giving what we have already decided in our hearts to give, and doing so makes us cheerful in our giving.

I know many of you have already determined what giving to the synod looks like for you this year, and for that we are grateful. Nonetheless, as we approach the mid-point of the year, we are all looking at our budgets and making sure that what we decided to give for 2025 is still what we are able to give. I say this not as your synod treasurer, but as one of you who oversees the finances of a presbytery. So, it’s helpful to remember that Paul’s words about giving cheerfully were written by someone who depended daily on others to sustain him. And what’s even more surprising given his overall career context, he’s not even asking for money for himself here. He's raising money for a ministry in Jerusalem and asking the church in Corinth to prepare in advance what they already promised to give so that it doesn’t feel like a last-minute compulsory gift, but a joyful one!

What I see as the overall context in Paul’s message to the Corinthians is this: while caring for your church will always be your most immediate concern, it should not the sum total of your giving. Paul leaves the Corinthians with this promise: “You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity.” He was, of course, speaking spiritually, and at this point in the year 2025, being enriched spiritually might be our highest priority. In a world full of war and increasing political chaos, maybe the most grounding thing we can do is be faithful to our commitments and not give in to fear of what our budgets might look like next year if we give too much this year. I will leave you with this one thought my spiritual director had for me today: what is my next one faithful step?