Hopefully by now, you have heard that this year’s Missions Month is going to be a bit different because it falls right in the middle of Lent! Our mission theme of “Live Simply, Give Generously” is a perfect fit as the Lenten season already calls us to simplify our lives in some way so that we can deepen our attention to the cross. During Lent we spend 40 days of spiritual reflection leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus and I love how our church intentionally observes this season.
Missions Month is a time for us to focus, give, and learn, both about what God is doing in the world and the ways He is calling us to join Him. This March, we are challenging you to add a fiscal element to your Lenten season. Our desire is that this too would bring spiritual significance to your life and that you will uncover the deep, spiritual joy of simplicity and generosity as you set aside material gain that often distracts or deters us (sometimes without us even knowing it.)
Consider this season to be a big exhale to lay things down.
We are challenging our church to give to our Missions Ingathering Offering (keyword to designate in your envelope, online, or text tithing: missions) with the money that is freed up by their own simple living challenge. This fund supports our partners all over the city and world. We give scholarships and invest in kingdom projects through our partners, as well as support nonprofits, church plants, mission sending agencies, and more! Our goal is $100,000.
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
This Live Simply, Give Generously challenge will look different for everyone! Maybe you plan on spending some time away from social media during Lent; would you also consider abstaining from online shopping and give that money to our missions offering?
There are a lot of ways to look at your financial spending and significantly challenge yourself during these weeks:
Drink water only
Eat in or eat frugally to cut your grocery bill (rice and beans for one meal a day, etc.)
Commit to no online shopping
No impulse buys (looking at you, dollar bin at Target...or Target in general) You will be surprised at how quickly these add up!
Stop a subscription service for 6 weeks (Netflix, Spotify,etc.)
Clothes swap instead of purchasing new clothes
Utilize the library for books and movies
Make Coffee instead of driving through Starbucks
Print out your bank statement and see where you may be able to cut back on excess
Put your phone to bed after dinnertime!
Make it something that will be noticeable in your life. Pray and ask God where He wants to challenge you for these few weeks! If something keeps coming to your mind and you keep resisting it, pay attention to that. Sometimes an area that automatically brings up resistance is exactly where God is asking you to let Him work. I can’t wait to see how God will use these 6 weeks in my life and in our church!
Going above and beyond our tithes to contribute to our ingathering is always incredible to see. It doesn't matter if your amount is big or small, it all adds up to be more than we could give on our own. We would love to hear how you have decided to take on the “Live Simply, Give Generously” challenge! You can do so anonymously here.
If you’re interested, here is a Good Reads List with a few books you might consider reading to help you embrace this season.
There is a full list of March mission month happenings at www.councilroad.church/missions (a serve day on March 28th, information about Midweek guests, an opportunity to tour our St. Paul’s Community School partner, etc.) but this month is intentionally not event-driven.
Join me and let’s Live Simply, Give Generously together. I’m so ready!
Meet the Author!
Makenzie graduated from Wheaton College where she majored in Christian Ministry, Urban Studies, and Photography and somehow managed to apply all of her degrees to work in the real world! She has a passion for community development after years working in urban ministry in Chicago, non-profits in Austin, and part-time roles at CRBC the past 4&1/2 years. She loves being able to equip and serve the church and recently stepped into the full-time role as Minister of Missions at CRBC which includes both local and global partnerships. Despite being the missions minister, she is quite the homebody. She is an avid Harry Potter fan, loves Oklahoma City, and loves to be with her friends, family, and ADORABLE weenie dog, May.