Benalla Presbyterian Church exists to witness to Jesus Christ to everyone in Benalla and beyond.
We love our city and have a special place in our heart for the Goulburn Valley and the North East. But our heart is one that bleeds. Of the 10,000 people living in Benalla – let alone the thousands more in our region- very few know the love of Jesus and the hope that He offers everyone.
The vision of our church is to witness to Jesus Christ to everyone in Benalla and beyond.
We can’t make that happen on our own. This is the kind of vision that will only happen if God is in it. But God calls us to join Him in the work He is doing.
It takes money to do this; a vision like this needs resourcing, but we have a God who does the impossible. And trusting Him, we’d love to share with you, how you can worship God, be spiritually enriched, increase your joy, and partner with us in growing God’s kingdom- all through the simple act of being generous with the time and money He has so graciously given you.
“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7
In this short verse Paul tells us four things about giving money:
1. Each person
Paul encouraged everyone in the church to give. He wrote ‘each of you’. Like Paul, we encourage ‘each person’ who is a member of our church to be generous and give financially to the work of the ministry (as people who desire to participants and beneficiaries of our ministry).
2. Decide in your heart
Paul encouraged his readers to consider in advance how much they would give. Like many churches, we pass round a bag for the offering as well as accepting gifts by direct deposit (details below). While there is nothing wrong with passing an offering bag, it can sometimes lead people to give in a reactionary way, and thus only give what’s in their wallets, rather than in a considered and thoughtful way. We don’t want our guests to feel pressured into giving, and we want everyone to ‘decide in their hearts’ before giving.
3. Not reluctantly or under compulsion
The point here was not that they should feel no reluctance in their own hearts. After all, sometimes it is the act of giving despite our natural tightfistedness that helps us to grow in sacrificial generosity. Rather, the point Paul is trying to make is that God doesn’t want people to moan and groan about having to give their money to him. ‘Reluctant giving’ does not please God. For this reason, we discourage our members from giving if they can only do it reluctantly, and we encourage and spur a desire to grow in generosity (in view of God’s generosity to us)! All of our members are able to participate and benefit from our ministries regardless of whether they financially support us or not.
4. Cheerfully
The final thing Paul urges his readers to do is give cheerfully. We believe that if we have our hearts captured by Christ and his purpose, then we’ll actually want to give all of ourselves toward work of his Kingdom. We therefore encourage our members to ‘give cheerfully’ and remember how much God has been generous to us, knowing that God desires to see cheerful, joyful generosity in his people.
How much should I give?
In the Old Testament, God’s people were instructed to give a tithe (10%) of their income back to God, but the New Testament never names a specific amount that we should give. Rather than holding forth a ‘law’ or ‘ruling’ on how much we should give, the New Testament puts forward a new idea of ‘sacrificial generosity’- generosity as a response to God’s grace shown to us in Jesus Christ.
We see a tithe as the springboard for generosity. For this reason, we invite our members to consider tithing their income to support the work of the gospel here, as well as encouraging our church to grow in generosity by giving above and beyond this (here and also to other causes).
How do I give?
As you become a member of Benalla Presbyterian Church and you consider how you can support Jesus’ work here, we’d love for you to consider how you will give to the work of the Gospel.
You can give by direct deposit at your local bank branch or online, or by sending a cheque, using the details below:
Benalla
By Direct Deposit
Name: St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church General Account
BSB: 633 000
Account No: 1041 08386
By Cheque
To P O Box 747
Benalla VIC 3672
Thoona
By Cheque
C/O 1130 Alexanders Road
Bungeet VIC 3726
Balmattum
By Direct Deposit
Name: Balmattum Presbyterian Church General Account
BSB: 063 682
Account No: 1002 6466
By Cheque
C/O 22 Atkins Street
Euroa VIC 3666
All giving information is kept private. Our treasurers have access to this information.
If you would like to talk more about giving or ask a question, please contact the treasurer on 5762 6070 (Benalla), 5765 2236 (Thoona), or 5795 3773 (Balmattum).
What will my money be used for?
All money given to Benalla Presbyterian Church will be used for the growth of God’s Kingdom. This may include staffing, ministry operations, property, mission giving, and/or anything else that we believe will advance the cause of the gospel.
Finances are handled by the Boards of Management, which give a full financial report to our Annual Congregational Meetings, and which are accountable to the congregations for their decisions.
For more resources on giving and generosity, check out the conversation below:
What are some other things I can give to?
Our partners and friends at Australian Presbyterian World Mission
benallapresbyterian.org.au 