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John Wesley Adult Ministries

John Wesley Adult Ministries
John WesleyAdult Ministries

May 29, 2025 May 29, 2025

A NOTE FROM MISSY

The children's Sunday School teachers have been using a "Tithing Jar" in the Sunday School classrooms since October, sharing with the children what it means to give to God. Just as we are considering our individual tithes during Campaign 81, we are asking that adults at John Wesley UMC use this time to talk about and model giving with your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and friends in the months ahead. The following is an excerpt from an article by Dan Pezet, a United Methodist pastor. It first appeared as a blog in 2012 and has been adapted from the Lewis Center's Leading Ideas for this newsletter.


Teaching children to tithe is an important part of their faith education that we often overlook. Giving to God is a care value of our faith that should be taught early and reinforced often.



The most common way that I see tithing taught to children is simply by grownups giving children a quarter to put in the offering plate. This is all right for very young children because it gives them the opportunity to participate in giving. But this may not send the right message to elementary school children. First, the money wasn't theirs to begin with, so they do not feel the satisfaction of it being a personal gift to God. Second, it does not teach proportionality in giving or the idea of putting God first in our finances.


We want to teach children to be intentional about their giving. But our adult understanding of tithing can be too complex for children. For example, children are not generally taught to figure percentages until their middle-elementary school years. so teaching younger children to calculate a percentage tithe is not age appropriate.


When our son was five, we started to teach him about giving using "money jars." We have three jars sitting on his dresser that are labeled "Money for God," "Money to Save," and "Money to Spend." He gets $2 per week allowance. We give it to him as a dollar bill and 4 quarters; that way one quarter can be given to the God jar, one to the savings jar, and the rest in the spend jar. On Sunday, he takes the quarter from God's jar, and takes it to church as an offering.



As we implemented the jar system we discussed with our children: 1) God made everything, so everything is God's. 2) We want to think about God first. 3) We give to God because we love God.

CAMPAIGN 81: GIFTS


Have you ever sent a nice gift to someone, only to have them improve your gift and give it back to you? Me neither. But that's exactly what God does with our financial gifts. He does not keep our gifts in the bank. He does not use these gifts for pleasure. He takes what we give Him and improves it and compounds it and grows it and then returns it back to us as another gift. These returned gifts include paying for our church staff, paying for the building infrastructure, maintenance, repairs and improvements, paying the electric and water bills, paying for church programs and paying for the United Methodist Church through apportionments. Your generosity allows God to do all of this.


Please prayerfully consider to the Campaign 81 capital fund today.

Click HERE to Give Online

YOU ARE INVITED! Piccolo Spoleto at John Wesley UMC

During Piccolo Spoleto, May 26-June 6, there are 12 free opportunities to hear mainly young musicians, the upcoming generation, offer their hearts in the music they love.


This year John Wesley United Methodist is featured in a concert on Saturday, May 31 at 3 pm. This one-hour concert will be played by Laura Smith, a recent graduate of Baylor University, will play a varied program of Bach, Reger, Seth Bingham and the "Star Wars Medley" of John Williams.

Register HERE!

Join Pastor Mike Bruce on a wonderful trip to Turkey. The trip is called the Seven

Churches of Revelation. Along with time spent in Istanbul, Cappadocia, and other

places, we will spend time exploring the sites of the seven churches mentioned in the

Book of Revelation: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and

Laodicea. Learn about and experience the place where the early church shifted to. The

trip is October 14-25. There will be an info meeting on Tuesday, June 3rd at 7:00 pm in the library at John Wesley UMC.

Click HERE to Learn More!

We Need YOU To Be A Fellowship Friend!

The Fellowship Friends is a group of SUPERHELPERS who agree to serve for various "behind the scenes" needs at John Wesley. Once committed, Fellowship Friends will receive texts when a need arises and may accept or decline a request to serve according to their own personal schedule and availability.


Need More Information Before Signing Up? Email Missy, missycario451@gmail.com

Click HERE to Become a Fellowship Friend

Children's Ministry Needs YOU!!! Sign Up Now to Volunteer at VBS 2025! July 21 - 25, 9 a.m. - noon!

VBS 2025 at John Wesley will be the week of July 21 - 25, 2025 from 9 a.m. to noon each day.


Please email Hope Murphy if you would like more information about serving as a volunteer during Vacation Bible School.

Contact Missy Cario, missycario451@gmail.com, to share information with other adults in the John Wesley community.

John Wesley United Methodist Church
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