Faith Promise: Sowing Generously

 What a week of mission activity and events!  We have been sowing seeds throughout this week by being in service to those in need and to those who are spiritually lost. Thank you to all who helped package over 18,000 meals last Sunday before worship and helped us raise thousands of dollars for our missionaries on Wednesday night.  This week has been extremely successful and productive!   This Sunday at  First Church we are going to be examining the rest of Paul's words to the church at Corinth regarding their financial gifts and assistance to the impoverished and persecuted Christians in Jerusalem.  He wrote to the Corinthians about planting seeds.  Certainly as a farm boy this Scripture has always stuck with me.  I have sown thousands of acres of wheat seeds in my lifetime.  So I know what it means to sow seeds.  But recently Paul's words have taken on new meaning for me, especially when examined in the context of the Corinthian church raising money to send to another area of the world.  Paul's words to the Corinthians are God's words to us today.   I pray God has laid on your hearts the financial commitment He is asking you to make to support our missionaries serving around the world through your Faith Promise pledge.  The reality is that last year we had to drop funding for one of our missionaries because we simply didn't have enough pledges.  This year, we are praying for an increase in the amount and number of our pledges to Faith Promise.  We have a missionary in mind we want to support, but we simply need the financial support from you to be able to help send this missionary into the field that is ripe unto harvest.     This Sunday we will begin collecting the Faith Promise pledge cards and will continue collecting them throughout this month.  We hope you will prayerfully consider what God might ask you to give to our missionaries that is over and above your regular giving to First Church   I look forward to seeing each of you in worship this Sunday as we conclude our celebration of Mission Week at OKC First Church!   Pastor Lesly