PilgrimBCSM Pentagon Campaign Newsletters June 2013

Some of you are asking “I understand we are in a stewardship campaign where I may have to make a change in my lifestyle but how do I make those changes?” “Lifestyle Stewardship” is the process of developing yourself spiritually and economically so that you are able to contribute to the building of God’s Kingdom. King David declared, “I will not offer to God that which costs me nothing” (2 Samuel 24:24) because he understood that the value of the gift presented to God is determined by its value to the giver. With that in mind, in order to participate, there are three steps you must follow: 1) Do An Assessment of Your Current Lifestyle - You begin by making an accurate assessment of your lifestyle. You have to evaluate your motivations, attitudes and personal perspectives about your own lifestyle. Keep in mind that we tend to be optimistic and overestimate our financial capabilities when we want something and tend to underestimate our wealth when we consider increasing our church giving. 2) Reorder Your Spending Priorities - You spend money on the things most dear to your heart. The first step is to identify those expenditures on your priority list that you are willing to remove entirely and that you can easily do without. The second step is to look for ways to spend less on the priorities you cannot give up completely. Remember: Don’t be too austere - you will still need resources for recreation and enjoyment. 3) Reorder Your Resources - As you identify specific changes in your lifestyle and remove or downgrade items in your priority list, you will see how much money you have available to give. That is Lifestyle Stewardship – diverting money from the family budget into giving without needing any additional income. Here’s An Example of How You Can Fulfill A $5,000 Annual Pledge With Lifestyle Stewardship The average American spends $1,040 a year at Starbucks or Peet’s If you buy Starbucks or Peet's Coffee in the grocery store at cost of $20 per month… YOU WILL SAVE $780 for the year The average American couple spends $5,000 a year eating out If you cut this expenditure in half by eating at home instead… YOU WILL SAVE $2,500 The average family of four spends $5,100 on soft drinks a year If you buy a Brita filter and drink water at home… YOU WILL SAVE $2,500 If you made just these THREE changes to your expenditures, you will have $5,780 to give — It’s that simple! Other Simple Changes To Consider MOVIES— Go to matinee movies. Eat before you go to the movie. Bring your own popcorn and soda. CABLE/SATELLITE TV — At $900 per year on average, do you watch all those channels? Downgrade to save money. PHONE SERVICE - Do you need both a landline and a cell phone? Do you use all of the data or minutes on your plan? If you need any help with Lifestyle Stewardship, you can contact any member of the Campaign Finance Committee. We are here to serve and guarantee that all assistance provided will remain CONFIDENTIAL. A List of all Finance Committee members can be found on the back cover of this newsletter. 4

PilgrimBCSM Pentagon Campaign Newsletters June 2013 | Page 4