We have a GIFT DAY in Redeemer on 29 May 2016. These moments are brilliant opportunities to give over and above our regular monthly financial giving.

We want to inform you about the focus of this Gift Day (which actually has more then one focus!).

These are things that we want to give towards – in no particular order:

1. Expanding the capacity of the Nieuwe Kerk to be able to host more people on a Sunday.

Although we are not able to make massive structural adjustments, we are able to change the seating capacity in the church to enable us to fit in another 70-100 chairs. This will not cost money in itself but adjusting the audio visual set-up will cost about €12 000. Buying equipment to expand the capacity for more kids (and to improve the facilities of our present kids work) will cost a further €3000-€5000.

As we continue to grow, it is very likely that we will need to rent additional space for our kids out of the Nieuwe Kerk on a Sunday morning

2. Redeemer Delft congregation launch. 

We are so excited to see a fantastic team of singles, couples and families beginning to be formed for Redeemer Delft. Although we are not yet ready to start the congregation, we do want to start saving towards it. When you calculate salaries, venue hire, and equipment cost we are looking at a cost of about €140 000-€150 000 for the first year. Our resources are not going to make this ‘church plant’ a success (only God can do that, through the power of the Holy Spirit), but we do want to do all we can through being diligent in prayer, planning and saving towards it.

3. Serving the poor and the vulnerable in The Hague.

We believe that God has more for us than what we see at the moment in terms of our engagement into The Hague, and our serving of the poor and vulnerable in this city.

Although we have been blessed to be able invest money into partnering with others doing great things in the city, we are in the process of exploring what God has for us in this next season. We have already started saving money towards what this could mean in terms of a building to base serving projects in, as well as potentially being able to staff and support projects that are on our hearts’ as a church.

An added advantage of having our own building is that it would not only serve as a base of serving projects, but that it would also serve as a place for our staff team to be based in, and for us to host small and medium meetings in. Our present offices are now too small for much of what happens in the daily and weekly life of the church.

 4. Create a buffer.

The last few months have seen us ‘skate on thin ice’ in terms of monthly income matching monthly outgoing. We have seen regular giving increase dramatically over the last years, and God provide AMAZINGLY. This means that we are currently in a position where we are not in debt.

Also, when we set budgets a number of months ago, we had planned towards monthly shortfalls for a season knowing that we were taking future-focused steps of faith.

Our aim is absolutely to be in a place where monthly income exceeds monthly outgoing, but at the same time we want to be able to make vision shaped budget decisions and investments. It would be good to know that we have something of a ‘buffer’ in place while we still pray for God’s provision through increased regular income.

What does this mean for you?

Please be in prayer this week about what God wants you to give. Let’s be a church that ‘excels in the grace of giving’ (2 Cor 8:7)!

If you have any questions about general financial giving in Redeemer (practicalities, beliefs, etc.), please feel free to chat to any of the leaders at any time.

Also, have a look at this page for some of the basics and practicalities of giving within Redeemer.