Weekly Update - 28th April
Dear sisters and brothers
Last week the church received a grant from an organisation called the Corra Foundation in order to support families in immediate financial need. Over the next couple of months the grant will allow us to give small amounts of money to families or individuals who are struggling financially in order to help with the cost of such things as bills, food and furniture etc. We are effectively acting as a ‘middle man’, distributing this generous grant to those we know or identify as having a need. It is a welcome addition to the small discretionary fund which we already have and which has helped a good number of people, especially over this last couple of years. As we all know, the cost of living increases are causing a crisis for many people and it is good to be able to help in this small way.
As people with faith in God’s provision, however, it is important for us to think about money within the context of our faith. The Bible has a lot to say about money. Perhaps the most famous thing Jesus said about it was that you cannot serve both God and money. He also said not to worry about food or clothes because, like the birds of the air, God knows what we need and will supply them (Matthew 6:24ff). Paul writes that “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil” (1 Tim 6:10). These verses can seem all very well for those who have ‘enough’ money, but when we are struggling simply to make ends meet they can seem a little hard to take. Yet they point to a truth about money, whether we feel we have too little or too much, that when it comes to dominate our lives it pushes out our trust and reliance on God.
Rather than letting our relationship with money dominate and disturb our lives and our relationship with God; we should try to let our relationship with God shape the whole of our lives, including our relationship with money. For example, if we cultivate such fruits of the Spirit as patience, kindness, peace and self-control, it will change the way we view and manage our money. Our culture, at its worst, tells us that we can have what we want now (and pay for it later) and that generosity is an afterthought. Our faith calls us to be generous first and foremost with whatever we have and to be content in every circumstance. It also calls us to see ourselves as part of a community and not primarily as individuals: helping and supporting each other as we are able and have need.
To that end, therefore, if you do find yourself in financial difficulty in the next couple of months, please do contact me so that we can help you with the money we have been given from the Corra Foundation for exactly that purpose. Similarly, if you know of anyone else who could do with such support, please get in touch with me and we will do our best to help them.
With restrictions easing significantly, it has been wonderful to see more and more people returning to all our church services: in the Centre, at the Woodhill Court and in Stocket Grange,. Of course we continue to be careful with one another, and if you’ve not been to a service for a while you’d be made very welcome. This coming Sunday, as well as the service in the Community Centre and online at 11am, we have a service in Woodhill Court at 10am.
With love from myself and Sarah
Rev. Ian Aitken
52 Ashgrove Road West
ABERDEEN
AB16 5EE
Tel. 01224 686929
iaitken@churchofscotland.org.
www.stockethillchurch.org.uk