St. Paul's Website
  • Home
  • Who we are
    • Clergy and Vestry
    • History of St. Paul's Wickford
    • The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion
  • Worship & Sacraments
    • What To Expect
    • Funerals
    • Weddings
  • Music
    • Choir
    • Organs
    • Music Lists
    • Music at St. Paul's
  • Education and Outreach
    • Giving and Outreach
    • Sunday School
    • Adult Education
  • Stewardship
​God Gives. God’s Goodness and Generosity Are Unimaginable.
​Life itself is a gift. The first thing God asked of us in the Law was to love only Him: put God first, have no other gods before Him. In the Incarnation, God gives himself (that's why there is a photo of our Christmas Basket offering at the top of the page).
We are made for a life of Thanksgiving: seriously, thankful people live longer, as well as better lives. Giving heals our hearts from a spirit of negativity to a spirit of thanksgiving. A spirit of entitlement is antithetical to Christianity.
 
We give because we get distracted; not just by things that seem good and aren’t, but also by real fear and worry. For most of us, our first thoughts are the things we are worried about: money, children, parents, jobs, health, future...We give to God off the top because that’s where we need to recognize him. 

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We give to God first because God puts us first. We need to be reminded that to God, we are the pearl of great price. 

We give to God first because it blesses all that remains.     
No one knows how it works, only that it does. When we put our commitment to God first, He reorders our priorities and somehow the coincidences seem to happen. Giving makes God’s coincidences, obvious.       

We give to God first because it changes us: we worry less and have more confidence. When you start making progress and seeing God in it, you start to trust that it’s going to be okay. As you see God in the present, you might look back and see where He was in earlier “coincidences.” God won’t leave you in the future, even if the miracles take awhile. 
Putting God first is what God asks of you: you are doing your part. God is meeting you and you are becoming partners with God in your own rescue. If God is with you, there is nothing you can’t do together. 

Giving to God first is contagious, in a fabulous way. 
When you start to put God first in prayer, in thought, in hopes, in dreams, in frustrations, in pain…in all you do and all you are. Life with God changes you. When others see you more joyful and compassionate, they might want what you have and you will be ready to give what you’ve been given. Tithing is liberating and fun.
 
Giving to God first means giving the first portion of your income to God. The percentage, before or after taxes, and balance of time and talent with treasure, are lengthier conversations for prayer. There are dozens of reasons to give less or last. Find a reason that works for you to put God first and generously. You need to know how much you matter to God. You are not in this by yourself.

55 Main St
North Kingstown, RI
​02852

St. Paul's is wheelchair accessible. Please park in the handicapped spot behind the office wing, on Washington Street.

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Contact Us
Office Hours: M-F 9-1
Telephone: (401) 294-4357
Email: office@stpaulswickford.org

  • Home
  • Who we are
    • Clergy and Vestry
    • History of St. Paul's Wickford
    • The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion
  • Worship & Sacraments
    • What To Expect
    • Funerals
    • Weddings
  • Music
    • Choir
    • Organs
    • Music Lists
    • Music at St. Paul's
  • Education and Outreach
    • Giving and Outreach
    • Sunday School
    • Adult Education
  • Stewardship