PAT - A Testimony

Last year the world church encouraged each member to try to increase their generous response by $10.00 a week; the cost of a movie or a couple of fast food meals. We were reminded that the increased giving would have the power to really change lives. While $40.00 a month does not seem like a great deal, when you are trying to live on a small pension and already coping with increased living expenses it seemed an impossibility for me.

I was well aware that the majority of our small Wiarton congregation were trying to live on small pensions also. The Wiarton branch has always given generously in the past and I knew they would desire to meet this new challenge; but I wondered “HOW” we could possibly do so.

After prayer, and considerable contemplation of my already tight budget, I decided the answer, for me at least, was preauthorized monthly giving (PAT). I was aware that despite faithful attendance and giving in the past, I was not always faithful in putting in my local offering when I was absent due to illness or attendance at another branch or mission event. (Thankfully however, many in this congregation were already doing so.) Also, I acknowledged that sometimes the current sum in my wallet on Sunday morning had some relationship to my giving. I knew too that I did not always give equally to the world church and the local congregation.

When I estimated the difference a small increase and consistency through PAT could make, I shared my “awakening” with the priesthood, Sunday school and 11:00 a.m worshipers. I do not know how many used my particular method to increase their contribution, but I was thrilled to report to the congregation in January that Wiarton had increased their giving by not 8 or 10%, but by 12.5%, AND it was almost equally distributed between local and world church initiatives.

I just wanted to pass this on. Little changes and “consistency” can make all the difference! It’s a brand new year, give it a try.

- Dorothy Burdette, Co-pastor Wiarton Congregation

Editor's Note: The PAT form can be found on the CEM website or by clicking here.