Give to Duluth First United Methodist Church

Online Giving at Duluth First UMC

In an effort to be faithful stewards with what God has entrusted us with, we at Duluth First United Methodist Church are using ShelbyNext Giving (formerly known as SimpleGive), an online giving service to help with our calling of being generous believers. Donating/giving your time is not the only way to serve at Duluth First United Methodist Church. There are recurring costs to operating and staffing our ministry/ministries, as well as helping us do work throughout our community and the world. We believe that God calls us to give, and to give generously.


Online giving provides the flexibility for our members to give how they want to, regardless of day or time. You’ll be able to give your tithes and offerings in several different ways. We have links where you can give:
You can also give using the ShelbyNext Giving mobile giving app. Part of the flexibility we are giving you is the payment method you use to give. Of course, you’ll still be able to give via a check, even through our online giving platform. You can also give with a credit or debit card with any of the giving mediums mentioned above.

Online giving helps all of us better develop a habit of giving regularly, and to be better stewards by affording you the opportunity to give on a regular basis. You will be able to set up recurring giving to both the General Giving Fund and the Building Fund. How many of you pay bills online? This is much the same, but it’s not just paying a bill. It’s being obedient to God and fulfilling what He calls us to do.

Pray about how God is calling you to give and be a faithful and obedient steward in our mission of making disciples. Giving is truly a worship experience, and online giving can enrich that experience. Without it, we may miss out on an incredible way of becoming more like Christ, both as individuals and as members of His Church.

We love our church. We love our people. We love the Body of Christ that our church represents. And we love the opportunity to be faithful in our tithes and offerings to Him. As Paul reminds us, God loves a cheerful giver.

For more information about the use of credit cards, debit cards, or to get more information about ACH withdrawal, please contact Jan Jones, Financial Assistant, by e-mail at jjones@duluthumc.org or call 770-476-3776, ext. 113.

Stewardship Campaign for 2022

Please consider your estimate of giving for 2022. Please click on Stewardship 2022 Estimate of Giving and fill out a simple Estimate of Giving card online.


Please click on Grow One Step 2022 to download copies of the Grow One Step charts.


You can set up automatic recurring electronic giving by clicking on Duluth First UMC Online Giving.


News Alert!  God is Generous…So We Can Be Too!

 

Have you ever seen one of those pop-up messages on your phone that said, “Breaking News,” or have you seen something like that on TV?  Sometimes the network will break into the middle of your favorite show and say, “We interrupt this broadcast for a special announcement.”  When you hear those words, it captures your attention right away.  You become glued to the screen because you want to know what’s going on that is so important.  In fact, it has been said that few words in the English language have the power to capture the attention of so many people so quickly.  

 

What if you looked down at your phone, or looked at the TV screen, and saw that the “breaking news” was actually a message telling you that God is generous and, as a Christian, you can be generous, too?  Would that special announcement come as a surprise to you?  I hope not.

 

As Christians, we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and we carry His light inside of us wherever we go.  Hopefully, as we learn more about Him and grow closer to Him, we find out just how generous He really is.

 

There are lots of examples of God’s generosity in the Bible.  The most important one, of course, is seen in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but will have eternal life.”  God tells us to be generous, too.  In the book of Acts, the apostle Paul says, “Remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”  In Matthew 6:19-21, it says “do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”  Hebrews 13:16 says, “And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need.  These are the sacrifices that please God.”

 

As Christians, we are called to be generous.  A by-product of having the Holy Spirit dwelling within us is that feeling we have, that nudging, to help others who are in need.  It feels great when we can help someone else and shine the light of Christ in the world.  Our church has lots of ministries that we can participate in to fulfill that call.  In fact, our church is a storehouse of blessings!  Did you know that in the book of Malachi 3:10-12, God tells the people to “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple.  If you do, I will open the windows of heaven for you.  I will pour out a blessing so great, you won’t have enough room to take it in!”

 

In addition to being generous with your time by participating in the ministries of the church, you can also be generous with your giving.  How are you doing with that?  Are you tithing, giving 10% of your income, which is the standard that God calls us to?  If not, are you growing one step each year as you work your way toward the tithe?  Now is the time to start thinking about your giving plans for 2022.  In the coming weeks, we’ll be hearing from fellow church members as well as the clergy staff at all the services.  You’ll also be receiving your pledge card.  Think about how generous God has been in your life, and pray about how you can continue to grow closer to Him through your own generosity.

 

We don’t really need a breaking news special announcement to know that God loves each and every one of us and that He is generous with His blessings.  I hope we’ve all felt His presence in our lives and experienced His generosity in countless ways.  As we grow closer to Him, let us all heed the call to love our neighbors as ourselves and to be generous as we shine His light wherever we go.

 

In His service,

Bryan Johnson

Duluth First UMC Stewardship Chair

Text Giving Now Available

In today’s digital age, virtually any action can be done on your smartphone, and giving to your church is no different. Giving is the lifeblood of church. Our giving is the sole support of all the ministries of our church. We are excited to announce that there is a new, additional method available to those wishing to make online financial gifts to Duluth First UMC. ShelbyNext Giving (formerly known as SimpleGive), the service we use for making online gifts to our church, is now offering a text-to-give option for making financial gifts. This service lets members give to our church easily and securely with their cell phones. If you are interested in utilizing this new way of making financial gifts to the church, please follow the directions below.

 

HOW TO SET UP TEXT GIVING:

(Click on TEXT GIVING INSTRUCTIONS if you wish to print out a set of instructions.)

  • Text the word GIVE to the church’s text giving number 1-770-343-3608.
  • If it’s your first time, you’ll be prompted to click a link directing you to the online giving page to complete a one-time registration.
  • Click “SIGN IN” then “REGISTER FOR AN ACCOUNT” at the bottom of the page.
  • Complete contact information then click “REGISTER.”
  • Enter the SECURE PIN that the system texts you.
  • Select the fund, enter the donation amount, and payment information before completing your gift. Click SAVE PAYMENT to keep your payment information securely saved for future gifts.

HOW TO USE TEXT GIVING:

  • To text a donation after the one-time registration, you can give immediately without having to re-enter any of your information.
  • Simply text the desired amount and the fund keyword (see below) to the church’s text giving number (1-770-343-3608). Example: text “250 GF” for $250.00 to the General Fund.

OTHER TEXT COMMANDS:

  • EDIT – Make changes to your giving account and update contact information and/or update payment information.
  • REFUND – Refund your last gift. You must text “REFUND” within 15minutes to refund the gift. If you realize the mistake after 15 minutes, please contact Jan Jones, Financial Assistant, at 770-473-3776, ext. 113, or by e-mail at jjones@duluthumc.org.
  • KEYWORD –Keywords are the fund names that the church has set up for text giving. They are: GF – General Fund, BF-Building Fund, MG-Memorial Gift, LTFM-Long Term Facilities Maintenance, Other – all other gifts.

If you have any questions about text-to-give or other giving options available to you, please contact Jan Jones, Financial Assistant, by e-mail at jjones@duluthumc.org.