One Life Blog » Giving

Ralph Weitz Presents Building Construction Update

ronh — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:19:35 +0000

As chairman of the Building Committee I want you to join us in celebrating the beginning of construction. This is a great celebration and I invited some friends to help us celebrate. It has been over 7 years since the elders appointed the Building Committee, and frankly, we thought we would be out of a job by now! We can blame the delays on the county, funding, etc., but the reality is that we are on God’s schedule.

In order to design the building and meet the needs of the congregation, we surveyed all the ministry leaders and conducted two sets of ministry leader interviews. The committee visited churches and schools in order to see how new construction was being used to meet the changing needs.

Our committee selected the firm Helbing/Lipp – Engineering and architects. Helbing Lipp is one of the top architect firms inNorthern Virginia. We also selected Jack Bays Inc. as our general contractor. Jack Bays Inc. is one of the leading contractors in the Northern Virginia area.

After the Jack Bays Inc. bid was accepted, they went to their subcontractors and said, “Let’s review all the bids to make sure everything is covered.” They examined the bids line-by-line. They reduced their bid by about $1,000,000. Lynn Bays said to me, “Ralph, that never happens. It always goes up.” I said, “This is God’s timing.”

Lets Take a Walk

ronh — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:03:01 +0000

Each morning as I’m getting ready for work, I see them out walking. The older Korean ladies come striding along with purpose. A few minutes later they are followed by two women strolling along chatting. A retired couple, engaged in conversation, often pauses at our corner before continuing on. With the weather warming up I expect we will see more of our neighbors out for an early morning walk.

I have a pair of worn leather sandals that I bring out each year at Easter. Several years ago I played one of the disciples on the road to Emmaus in the Pageant. Lorenzo and I walked along, lost in casual conversation. Stopped by a stranger, we spent some time walking with him. Later in the drama, we “asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” ( Luke 24:31)

The other evening during Bible study, the topic of our One Life campaign came up. As we discussed some of the details of the program, the question arose: what is a “spiritual journey”? I thought back to those Easter performances for an example to share. And I thought of something we have been challenged with recently. If we really do believe that “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1), then it starts to make sense to ask the Owner what He wants us to do with what He has entrusted to us.

Have you set out on a spiritual journey? This week, I would encourage you to look around in your closet and slip on a pair of worn leather sandals; go for a walk with Jesus. Talk with Him. What better way to find out what is on His heart that to spend some time with Him.

Ron Hilbig
Communications Director
Immanuel Bible Church

We are Rich

admin — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:00:24 +0000

I’ve had the privilege of traveling to a lot of places around the world, including both third-world countries and more advanced countries. I always return home with the same conclusion: we Americans are very wealthy. Most people in the world have much less than even “poor” Americans. Most of us are not millionaires, but we are rich.

We have an abundance of food and clothing. Our grocery stores are stocked with copious quantities and a great selection of food. If we tire of cooking, we have wonderful restaurants with dishes from all over the world. Likewise, our closets are filled to overflowing with nice clothes. We usually have far more than we need to keep us warm, comfortable, and looking nice. If we do need more, our stores are filled with all the latest styles.

We live in comfortable homes that are large by world standards. Our homes are warm in the winter and cool in the summer. They are nicely furnished and nicely decorated. We have electricity and excellent phone service available 24/7 with only rare interruptions. We have washing machines, dishwashers, microwave ovens, computers (often with broadband access to the internet), cable television, and I could go on and on.

Most of us drive nice cars. We drive them on a network of generally excellent roads that are the envy of most of the world. And we are free to travel whenever and wherever we care to travel in this beautiful country. No travel documents needed. No government permissions.

It is in the area of freedoms that we are particularly rich. We freely elect our leaders. We have great freedom of expression both in our speech and in our media. We can gather for worship and worship as the Lord leads us with no expectation of interference.

We take all these things for granted and consider them our due. What much of the world considers luxuries, we consider necessities of life.

Not many of our brothers and sisters around the world have nearly what we have. Yet I’ve observed many people around the world whom I would consider desperately poor with a cheerful attitude toward life. And Americans—including American Christians—with great abundance often are looking for yet a little more to make us feel happy and secure. Even as Christians, our “stuff” often owns us rather than the other way around.

God has told us that “to whom much is given, much will be required.” All of us have been given much. God will someday ask us if we were faithful stewards of the great abundance that He entrusted to us. He will ask us if we were tight-fisted or generous. We need to examine carefully what we really need and what we only want. One Life gives us an excellent opportunity to do this examination.

Gary Holmberg
IBC Elder

A Lesson in Giving

steve — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:45:10 +0000

Last summer I was privileged to be part of an Immanuel summer missions team that journeyed to the east African nation Rwanda. Our two week ministry provided us with a stark reminder of disparity between those who have and those who have not. Just watching the significant volume of pedestrian traffic walk miles of hills and valleys carrying their daily supply of water in 10 liter containers was woefully sobering for all of us.

For years we had heard of the poverty of the “Third World,” but when you see the living conditions of its citizens, and witness the tragic results of poverty, it is hard to fully comprehend and accept. So our immediate reaction is, “we need to give them something!”

Once in Rwanda we arranged with the Compassion International and Africa New Life to meet Chadrack and Esther, the two children that we sponsored for several years . It truly was a powerful experience to see the value of our contribution in their lives.

While meeting with Esther’s mother and grandparents, we were struck with the meager simplicity of the tin-roofed mud hut in which they lived. No pictures adorned the plaster walls. The living room furniture consisted of benches and a few wooden chairs. Their kitchen was outside in the center of their backyard, not far from the latrine. While we were meeting with them, about 20 children from the village gathered at the door of their home to get a good look at the muzungu (the white people).

As we talked with Esther’s family through a translator, they expressed their appreciation for all that we had done over the years. They were so happy that we were able to come and to meet them so that they could thank us. It was a wonderful time for us to tell them of Jesus’ love and that He wanted us to do something to help the children of Rwanda. We brought along some gifts for them that included a Bible in their own language.

A few minutes later, Esther’s mother hurriedly left the room and went out the back entrance of the home and we did not see her for some time. I had wondered if we had done something to offend her or if our presence had made her uncomfortable. I was also a little worried that I wouldn’t find out about her hasty departure because we had to head on back to the school where we were providing ministry for the day.

Once outside in the front of the house, we took a few snapshots of the family, still without Esther’s mother anywhere in sight. Just as we were about to get in the van, Esther’s mom ran into the front yard with 10 ears of corn bundled on her shoulder, a live hen under her arm, and with a huge smile on her face, she laid them at our feet. Through the translator she said, “You have been so kind to Esther and to us that I wanted to give you something in return.”

As we said our goodbyes and made our way down the dirt road lined with miles of banana trees on either side, it struck me that we had just experienced in some measure what God experiences when we cheerfully give to Him. Let’s face it…compared to that Rwandan family, we have absolutely everything in the world and our needs are nil. And while we have contributed to this family, and it is making a difference, we had no expectation for them to do anything for us – just a simple “thank-you” would be more than sufficient.

Esther’s mom wanted to go beyond words to a more tangible expression. She wanted to express in a meaningful way the joy and the gratitude in her heart. She gave with generosity from her poverty and honored us in the process. Likewise, when we in gratitude give to God, who owns everything, He receives honor, but we receive the joy.

And in case you’re wondering, even the hen, though left behind in Rwanda, has fulfilled her purpose.

Steve Holley
Executive Pastor

Discerning Your Spiritual and Financial Commitment

Vicki Nellis — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:41:52 +0000

I was uncertain as to how to go about discerning our spiritual and financial commitment. The eight steps listed below have helped us clarify the process. They may help you and your family as well.

1. Pray..Ask God “What do you want to do through me to accomplish your will in my church?”

2. Scripture..Meditate on scripture. Proverbs 3:5-6, Phil 4:6 and 7

3. Evaluate..Think about the concepts of generosity and giving in light of II Corinthians Chapter 8

4. List your blessings…perhaps make a “Table of Thanksgiving”

5. Resurrender…what did God have in mind when the blessings came

6. Pray….”What is God’s will for us?”

7. Listen

8. Obey

Vicki Nellis
One Life Program Leader