Church donors becoming more self-focused. (Newsline).Church members are more likely to give to services that directly affect them - a trend that erodes a traditional sense of personal responsibility in giving, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Sylvia Ronsvalle, co-author co·au·thor or co-au·thor n. A collaborating or joint author. tr.v. co·au·thored, co·au·thor·ing, co·au·thors To be a collaborating or joint author of: "He and a colleague . . . of the recently released The State of Church Giving through 1999. The annual report, co-authored with John Ronsvalle, also showed members are giving less of their income, by percentage, to churches. Sylvia Ronsvalle said that two telling signs reveal a trend of selfish self·ish adj. 1. Concerned chiefly or only with oneself: "Selfish men were . . . trying to make capital for themselves out of the sacred cause of human rights" Maria Weston Chapman. giving - member congregational con·gre·ga·tion·al adj. 1. Of or relating to a congregation. 2. Congregational Of or relating to Congregationalism or Congregationalists. Adj. 1. finance giving and benevolence BENEVOLENCE, duty. The doing a kind action to another, from mere good will, without any legal obligation. It is a moral duty only, and it cannot be enforced by law. A good wan is benevolent to the poor, but no law can compel him to be so. BENEVOLENCE, English law. giving. Congregational finances support operation costs such as staff salaries. Benevolences support outreach Outreach is an effort by an organization or group to connect its ideas or practices to the efforts of other organizations, groups, specific audiences or the general public. activities beyond local congregations such as seminary seminary Educational institution, usually for training in theology. In the U.S. the term was formerly also used to refer to institutions of higher learning for women, often teachers' colleges. support. Benevolence giving as a portion of individual income increased 0.1 percent in 1999 from 1998 to 0.4 percent, but the figures are misleading because the 1998 percentage was the lowest recorded level since 1968, a base year used for tracking the data. Per member congregational finance giving as a portion of individual income was 2.18 percent, up from 2.11 percent in 1998. These two-year numbers reflect an improvement in congregational giving that began in 1992, but are still less than 1968 highs of 2.45 percent. The improvement in congregational finance giving and relatively low increases in benevolence giving implies that donors are more likely to give to services that directly impact them, Ronsvalle said. An implication of these findings is people aren't driven to give out of personal responsibility anymore, she added. Donors are driven by emotion, Ronsvalle said. This creates a possible gap in philanthropy philanthropy, the spirit of active goodwill toward others as demonstrated in efforts to promote their welfare. The term is often used interchangeably with charity. for long-term programs. For example, a person is more likely to give to a September 11 fund than an adult literacy program, even if the adult literacy program is structurally important. Such a program doesn't carry the impact of a current crisis of which a donor can see the immediate effects and consequences. Despite one-year percentage gains and a $229.14 increase in total contribution per member compared to 1968, the report shows that overall, per member giving as a percentage of personal income has declined. Total contribution giving as a portion of individual income declined in 1999 by 0.52 percent compared to the 1968 base year. Members gave more in actual dollars to churches when compared with 1968, but the rate of giving didn't match the increase in wealth of members over the same period. Therefore, members actually gave less of their total income to churches when compared with 1968 numbers. "The broader question that is often missed is: Are we raising up a generation of informed givers?" said Ronsvalle, who is also executive vice president of empty tomb Noun 1. empty tomb - a monument built to honor people whose remains are interred elsewhere or whose remains cannot be recovered cenotaph monument, memorial - a structure erected to commemorate persons or events , inc., which publishes the report. The report, culled from published information that includes 29 denominations, indicates that answer is no, Ronsvalle said. 
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hi
am pst joan minayo from Kitale and founder of Israel Prayer Centre and i weanted to say thanks for the work you are doing worldwide may God bless and hoping we will work together as a team and finish the work that the good Lord left for us thakns once again |
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