What Did Jesus Say About Stewardship?

So, what exactly did Jesus say about stewardship? Jesus taught about money and stewardship more than many other subjects during His earthly ministry. Keep reading!

The Bible reveals guidance regarding money and stewardship and the ethics of financial management. The Old and New Testaments set out broad principles to help us better understand how we are to make wise applications in specific situations. God calls us to be faithful in what He gives us—working honestly and diligently to gain wealth, saving judiciously, investing wisely, giving cheerfully and generously to the work of ministry in the kingdom of God, supporting the poor and needy, paying taxes, and other uses of our God-given resources.

Back to Jesus specifically – one of the most important lessons that He gave us is found in Luke 16:1-13, the parable of ‘the unjust steward’. While this parable can be tricky to understand for today’s Christians, I’ll try my layman’s best to break it down. Jesus is speaking to a mixed audience of His disciples and Pharisees (Jesus seemed to relish every opportunity to throw shade at the Pharisees and suggested that they were “lovers of money” and other unflattering comparisons). The parable begins with a rich man calling his steward before him to inform him that he will be relieving him of his duties for mismanaging his master’s resources. Now, it may not be apparent at this point in the parable (but is made more evident later on), but the master is probably not aware of the steward’s dishonesty. The steward is being released for apparent mismanagement, not fraud. This explains why he is able to conduct a few more transactions before he is released and why he is not immediately tossed out on the street or executed.
The steward, realizing that he will soon be without a job, makes some shrewd deals behind his master’s back by reducing the debt owed by several of the master’s debtors in exchange for shelter when he is eventually put out. When the master becomes aware of what the wicked servant had done, he commends him for his “shrewdness” (a true back-handed compliment).

Jesus follows up the facts of the parable by saying, “For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.” Jesus is drawing a contrast between the sons of the world (that is, unbelievers) and the sons of light (believers). Unbelievers are wiser in the things of this world than believers are about the things of the world to come. The unjust steward, once he knew he was about to be put out, maneuvered to collect some quick cash, cheat his master, and make friends of his master’s debtors—who would then be obligated to reward him once he lost his job.

In verse 9, Jesus encourages His followers to be generous with their wealth in this life so that in the life to come their new friends will receive them “into eternal dwellings.” This is similar to Jesus’ teaching on wealth in the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus exhorts His followers to lay up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21). He expands on this principle in verses 10-13 that if one is faithful in “little” (i.e., “unrighteous” wealth), then one will be faithful in much. Similarly, if one is dishonest in little, he will also be dishonest in much.

The excellent climax of this parable is in verse 13: “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Expenses and Giving, July-23 – June-24

Budgeted Giving, July-23 – June-24 -- $1,981,000

Budgeted Expenses, July-23 – June-24 -- $1,981,000

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Actual Giving, July-23 – June-24 -- $1,941,695 ($39,305 negative; ugh!)

Actual Expenses, July-23 – June-24 -- $1,922,343 ($58,657 positive; excellent!)

Understanding the Times…

In I Chronicles 12, the Israelite tribe Issachar is described as people who “understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” What a great gift! Wouldn’t you love counsel from someone who understood the times and knew what you should do? Wouldn’t you love an Issachar in your life?

Starting this month, we have a group gathering together seeking to be “Issachar” for Due West. As soon as we became an independent congregation, a small group of leaders immediately began talking about what was next. After some time in prayer, we decided we need a Strategic Planning Task Force. Our Administrative Board approved this suggestion and we began to prayerfully consider people to serve. In the Spring, we reached out to several people and asked them to be a part of this team. While much work has been done behind the scenes, our official work together begins this month!

Some of you might be wondering, “How will this affect our decision on whether or not we should join the Global Methodist Church?” It is a good question. And the answer is, the decision on the GMC will not change our Strategic Plan. Whether we remain independent or become a member of another denomination, who we are as Due West has not and will not change.

You might also wonder what kinds of things we will be discussing. Our work should and will focus around our mission statement: “Inviting our community to join us as we gather together, grow in Jesus Christ and go serve.” We want everything we do as a congregation to align around our mission. That means we will look at missions, ministries, facilities, staffing, etc. We will be listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit to determine where God is calling us in the months and years to come. We don’t simply want to ask God to bless what we do. We want to ask God to place us in the center of His will.

In the last year, we have seen attendance increase. We have also seen increases in children’s ministry, youth ministry, Sunday school and small groups. Our fiscal year ended just a month ago, and giving in the 23-24 year was up over the 22-23 year. In other words, it is a great time to be at Due West! But we did not get here by accident. We got here because of the prayer obedience of the congregation. And we want to go into the future in the same way.

Please keep this group in your prayers as we do our work. We plan to spend the next 12 – 18 months in this endeavor. What can you do? Pray that the Holy Spirit will speak. Pray we will listen and obey. Pray we will “understand the times and know what to do.” John Wesley said, “A great church moves forward on its knees.” Let’s move forward together into the future to which God is calling us!

If it’s Sunday, you want to be at Due West,

David

Mondays in August at 7:00 pm – Beginner Pickleball
Wednesdays in August at 7:00 pm – Intermediate Pickleball
August 3 - Estate Planning Workshop
August 4 - Promotion Sunday for dwKids
August 4 - Back-to-School Bash Part 1
August 4 & 5 - Special Presentation by Brendan Murphy
August 6 - Strategic Planning Task Force meeting
August 11 - dwCrew
August 11 - Back-to-School Bash Part 2
August 12 - First day of Preschool
August 15 - Firearms and Fellowship
August 18 - Global Methodist Church Information Meeting with Dan & Robin Parr
August 25 - dwCrew
August 25 - Healing Service @ 5:30

Support Groups

AA Open Meeting - Sundays @ 7:00 pm (Bldg A)
AA Women’s Group - Thursdays @ 7:00 pm (Bldg A)
GriefShare - Sundays @ 6:00 pm (Bldg C)
GRASP Support Group - Second Tuesday @ 7:00 pm (Bldg C)
S.O.S. Support Group - Second Thursday @ 7:00 pm (Bldg C)
Parkinson’s Support Group - Second Sunday @ 3:00 pm
Better Days Mental Health Support Group - 1st and 3rd Monday @ 7:00 pm (Bldg C)

Dementia Ministry Meetings

Spouse Support Group meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month at 9:00 am.
Spouse Group meetings are held on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 1:00 pm.
Family Support Group meetings are held on the fourth Thursday of each month at 7:00 pm.

Currently, all meetings are being held via Zoom. For more information, please email dementiaministry@duewest.org.

Weekly Exercise Classes (Bldg B)

Monday

Tone & Tighten @ 9:30 am (Nursery)

Tuesday

Pilates @ 9:30 am

Wednesday

Cardio-Sculpt @ 9:30 am (Nursery)
Slow Flow Yoga @ 10:35 am

Thursday

Zumba @ 9:30 am

Friday

Boot Camp @ 8:30 am (Nursery)
Stretch & Tone @ 9:30 am (Nursery)

Special Presentation

Due West is pleased to be hosting a two-part seminar called “Why the Jews: Understanding the Long and Tragic History of Antisemitism” presented by Mr. Brendan Murphy. Mr. Murphy is a history teacher at the Marist School. This event will be held in the sanctuary of Building A beginning on Sunday, August 4th from 4:00-6:00 pm and will conclude Monday, August 5th from 6:30-8:30 pm. It is free of charge and everyone is invited.

Pickleball Announcement

Everybody knows how busy our church is! Due to a scheduling conflict, we have changed the Pickleball start date! The new start date is Monday, August 5th. We will play every Monday and Wednesday of August at 6:00 pm in the Family Life Center. Mondays will be for beginner players, and Wednesdays will be for more advanced players. We would truly appreciate a few "advanced" players to come on Mondays to offer assistance/coaching.

A Conversation About the Global Methodist Church

As you know, Due West has been an independent congregation for the last several months. When we disaffiliated, we said that in the next six to twelve months we would vote on the direction we wanted to go moving forward. Every active member of the church will be eligible to vote on October 13th at 4:00 PM. This month, we will have a presentation about the option of affiliating with the Global Methodist Church.

Joining us will be Dan and Robin Parr. Dan is the attorney who argued the successful case for disaffiliation in the courts. Robin is an elder in the Global Methodist Church and is currently serving at Dahlonega Methodist Church. They will be in the Building A sanctuary at 4:00 pm on August 18th. They will offer a presentation and then take questions. Everyone is invited.

American Heritage Girls - Informational Meeting

Parents of girls ages 5-17 are invited to an informational meeting to learn more about American Heritage Girls Troop GA4224, which is chartered by Due West. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 6th, at 6:30 pm in the Children’s Assembly Room in the lower level of Building A. Girls are welcome to come meet current troop members and do some crafting while parents learn more about our troop. Our goal is to build women of integrity through faith, service, and fun. We enjoy the outdoors, work on badges, have devotionals, and serve God and our community. Our fall registration period will be open through September 30th. RSVP here for the informational meeting. You can also learn more about American Heritage Girls (AHG) on their website. Contact us through the Find a Troop link.

Healing Service

We will have our next healing service on August 25th at 5:30 pm in the sanctuary of Building A.

If you have struggled physically, emotionally, or spiritually and would like to be in a place to hear words of comfort and hope as you are prayed for, come and join us. If you know someone who could benefit from this service, please offer to bring them.

American Heritage Girls - Informational Meeting

Parents of girls ages 5-17 are invited to an informational meeting to learn more about American Heritage Girls Troop GA4224, which is chartered by Due West. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 6th, at 6:30 pm in the Children’s Assembly Room in the lower level of Building A. Girls are welcome to come meet current troop members and do some crafting while parents learn more about our troop. Our goal is to build women of integrity through faith, service, and fun. We enjoy the outdoors, work on badges, have devotionals, and serve God and our community. Our fall registration period will be open through September 30th. RSVP here for the informational meeting. You can also learn more about American Heritage Girls (AHG) on their website. Contact us through the Find a Troop link.

Name Badges

As we are in a season of starting fresh here at Due West Methodist Church, it seems like a great time for us to learn the names of fellow members of DWMC while we gather together. We likely recognize each other's faces at worship services or other church events, but wouldn’t it be great to put a name with that face? We can help do that by ordering, and wearing, name badges while on campus. If you are interested in ordering a name badge, please reach out directly to Denise Luders via email at dluders@duewest.org. Please do NOT order name badges individually through the newsletter or website at this time. Denise will collect names and place a bulk order which will allow us to enjoy significant cost savings per badge (individual badges are $18.50). We will notify all who order what the revised price is prior to finalizing the order.

Altar Flowers

Did you know we have a Flower Ministry at Due West Methodist? A floral arrangement can be purchased and displayed on the altar during Sunday morning services in honor or memory of someone you love, to celebrate a birthday or anniversary, or just because you love Jesus. An acknowledgment of the flowers will be included in the preservice slides. You will also have the option of taking home the bouquet after the service or donating it to the Flower Ministry. If you choose to donate it, we have volunteers on Monday morning that will divide the arrangement into smaller bouquets and deliver them to you and other church members on our prayer list. The arrangements cost $65 and are available to purchase from January – November of each year, with the exception of the first Sunday of each month. You will find the link to order Altar Flowers here. Alternatively, you can contact Denise Luders for assistance at dluders@duewest.org or call the church office at 770-427-3835.

Methodist Men Host Firearms and Fellowship

Thursday, August 15th, 6:00 pm

Make plans to fellowship with us at Governor's Gun Club of Kennesaw on Thursday, August 15th for the next Firearms and Fellowship event. We’ll gather at 6:00 pm for range time, and those that are interested are welcome to stay for dinner at the club at 7:00 pm. This is a "dutch treat" style event. Please RSVP to Mark Hellman at mhellman@duewest.org by Monday, August 12th.

Come and fellowship with us!

To join our group on Church Center: click here.

The preschool is gearing up for the upcoming school year. Classes start August 12th. We still have a few openings in some of our age levels, and we also have openings in our NEW one- year-old classes on Tuesday/Thursday. Your child must be one before September 1st to enroll. If you are interested, please email Shelly Kubek at skubek@duewest.org or Courtney Kunkel at ckunkel@duewest.org. Also, you can call our office at 770-590-0982 to schedule a tour or click here.

Each year, we need to update and replace toys and books. As you can imagine, with over 180 children, we need many items. At this time, we are in need of tricycles and cozy coupe cars. If you are willing to donate yours, please let us know.

Please mark your calendar and save the date for the annual Holiday Market on November 2nd, 2024.

Preschool Sunday School

Memory Verse: “How You made me is amazing and wonderful.” Psalm 139:14, NIRV

Have you ever watched a cooking show where kids are doing the cooking? They are SO creative! A little of this and a little of that and voila! A culinary delight! Now imagine God creating each and every person . . . even more creative, right? Two brown eyes, some curly black hair, and a splash of freckles. Then, God adds a dash of compassion, a spoonful of kindness, a large cup of creativity . . . and voila! Psalm 139:14 says, “How You made me is amazing and wonderful.” God made me wonderful! God made you wonderful. God made every person on the planet wonderful!

Our prayer for preschoolers is that they will know that God made us, God loves us, and Jesus wants to be our friend forever. We’re cooking up a lot of fun to go with these foundational truths. We hope this month leaves you and your preschoolers smiling with confidence as you look into a mirror because you each know that “God made me wonderful!”

Elementary Sunday School

Joy - Choosing to celebrate what God is doing.

Memory Verse: “Always be joyful because you belong to the Lord. I will say it again. Be joyful!” Philippians 4:4, NIRV

Choose joy! This may be a commonly used phrase you’ve heard, but what does it actually mean? Joy is more than being excited about the good things that happen to us. Joy is an attitude—a decision to trust God no matter what is going on in our lives. From the very beginning, God had a plan for the world. As we dive into the Bible, we’ll discover God’s plan for us and how God has been at work through it all. When we see and celebrate what God is doing, we can find true joy!

dwCrew

dwCrew is a specialized time of fun, learning, and service for 3rd-5th graders. We will be meeting this month on August 11th & August 25th from 12:00-1:30 pm. Lunch is $3 and check-in is just inside the blue dwKids doors.

August 11 - Pool Party

August 25 - Ax Throwing

Promotion Sunday

Promotion Sunday is August 4th for our dwKids and we will be having a back-to-school celebration. Join us during Sunday school hours to celebrate the beginning of a new school year.

Ignite meets from 5:30-7:30 pm each Sunday and is open to 6-12th grade students. We offer a meal each week and ask for a donation of $3 to help offset the cost of food. Join us for dinner, worship, a lesson, and fellowship! Bring a friend!

AUGUST Youth Newsletter - CLICK HERE to view!

Ignite Back-to-School Bash!

August 4th, 5:30-7:30 pm

Join us August 4th at Ignite for our Back-to-School Bash! We’ll have a color war, Slip ‘n Slide, obstacle course, and Kona Ice! Wear clothes to get dirty in and a white shirt for the color war! We will meet first in the youth center and then parents pick up from the big field (with a towel suggested for your car!). It’s going to be so much fun! Bring your friends! No sign up needed!

Ignite Back-to-School Bash - Part 2!

August 11th, 5:30-7:30 pm

Join us for a special night of worship! We will sing along with some special musical guests and hear the Word spoken to us by a special guest speaker! Bring a friend!

Adult Volunteers Needed to help with our Youth Ministry!

Sign up for our Remind "Volunteers" group and get notified via text or email when volunteer opportunities arise!

Volunteer for Youth here!

Due West Adults: Come Volunteer to Feed our Youth!

You can make a difference in the lives of our youth! You can come help serve and clean up after youth dinners on Sunday nights from 5:00 - 6:30 pm. We will provide the food, you provide a helping hand! We ask that all youth volunteers take our Due West Safe Sanctuary Training, and submit to a background check. It’s easy, we promise!

Please email Millie Skinner for more information.

Click here to view the signup!

Rooted Youth Choir

The Rooted Youth Choir returns on August 14th at 6:00 pm!

Weekly rehearsals are on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 6:45 pm in Sanctuary A.

Come sing with us!

All Wednesday music groups resume rehearsals on Wednesday, August 14th. Come be a part of our fall programming!

See duewest.org/music for more information on all our groups

Kids choir
Youth Choir
Orchestra
Two adult choirs

Handbells resume August 4th

There are lots of exciting things coming up for the Center for the Arts that you do not want to miss! Be sure to put these dates on your calendar!

August 4th - AUDITIONS for Junie B Jones JR (2nd - 5th grade students)

August 6th - AUDITIONS for Alice in Wonderland JR (6th -12th grade students)

Registration for our performance ensemble for Junior Theater Festival is open as of August 1st!

See Church Center for more details on any of the above activities.

Kindermusik Classes

We are now offering mommy and me (or caregiver and me) classes for babies and toddlers. These classes are offered in partnership with Kindermusik of West Cobb. Please see their site to register https://regalperformingarts.com/

Watercolor Classes for Adults

Join us every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month from 10:30-12 for a fun watercolor class with Annette Lewis. Commit just one class at a time, and no experience is necessary - Annette will guide you step by step. Just bring yourself and your supplies, or if you don’t have supplies just let her know and Annette will provide those for you. Cost is $13 if you bring your own supplies, $17 if you’d like Annette to provide them. Simply send Annette a text at (404) 664-9906 if you’d like to join the class.

Instrumental lessons

We are thrilled to offer you lessons in piano, voice, guitar, bass guitar, ukulele and harmonica. If you are interested in private lessons in any of those things please send an email to Nicole at cfa@duewest.org for more information.

Missions Newsletter for August

Check out our missions newsletter to learn more about all the churchwide mission projects we have going on here at Due West!

Click HERE to read the Missions Newsletter for AUGUST

Check out our recently Updated Missions Website HERE!

Click Here for the Missions Facebook Page

Sign up for our monthly MailChimp emails by clicking HERE.

Teach Love Ministry Donations - For Due West Preschool Teachers

Deadline for Donations - August 12th

The Teach Love Ministry is collecting goodies for the staff of the Due West Preschool. We like to keep their break room filled to give them energy and help them know that they are cared for by our congregation. We're looking for warehouse-sized amounts of the items on our signup genius (think Sam's or Costco), but if you don't shop at those places - just get a similar amount of whatever item you choose.

Click HERE to view the Signup Genius.

Please bring donations to Admin 2 by Monday, August 12th. Thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus in this way to show our awesome preschool staff that God loves them and so does Due West Methodist Church!

THANK YOU from Teach Love!

The Teach Love Ministry would like to thank the following area businesses for sponsoring and providing for our teachers through products, coupons and gift cards. Please try to visit these businesses and tell them THANK YOU from Due West Methodist Church for loving on the educators in our community!

Home & Seasons
Ted’s Montana Grill
Olde Town Tavern & Grill
Moe’s – Cobb Parkway
Aloha Poke – Cobb Parkway
Wellstar
Scoops
Longhorn – Dallas Highway
Chick-fil-A – Brookstone in Acworth
Walk Ons
Signs & More

Coat Drive, August 4 - 25

Winter is coming soon, believe it or not, and our coat drive is starting early this year! Please bring clean, new or gently used coats, hats, scarves, and gloves to the three donation bins on campus or bring them by Admin 2 to Millie Skinner. We are looking for sizes from toddler to adult. These items will be donated to area families.

Time to Build!

This will be our 4th year of participating with the Cobb Interfaith Habitat Coalition to build a habitat home. The location of our build this year is at 136 Hedges Street in Marietta, and the next build dates are August 10th and 17th. For more information, contact Larry Sago at 770 366-5521.

Sign up for the build here!

Women's Fall Kick-Off

Thursday, September 12th, 7:00 - 8:00 pm

Please come join us at the Pavilion for fellowship and snacks. Information will be given about upcoming Women's events for the year.

‘I Am Ezer’ Bible/Book Study

Sister, you were made to be fierce! From the garden of Eden to the present day, women have been lied to. We have been deceived. Our deceiver is none other than the devil himself. He seeks to bring down the daughters of the Most High God through fear, anxiety, low self-esteem, feelings of inadequacy, abuse, failed marriages, wayward children, depression, and so many other tactics. He strives to destroy the spiritual DNA that God gave all women. However, God’s plan can never be thwarted, and it is time for the enemy’s lies to be exposed. It is time for all of God’s girls to know who He made us to be. This book will reveal the biblical truth about every woman’s spiritual DNA.

Through the course of the study, you will learn these truths:

Who the real enemy is
The truth that dispels the deceiver’s lies
You are a powerful army of one
You are marked
You are a giant slayer

Most importantly, what God put in you is being called back to life!

This study begins August 14th at 9:30 am in the Way Maker office located in Building C. For more information, please contact Kerri Casteel at kcasteel@duewest.org or join the group on ChurchCenter.

"Fearless Women in the Bible"

The Tuesday morning Women's Bible Study group will begin a new study on Tuesday, August 6th, at 9:30 am in Room 228 in Building C. We will begin by studying "Fearless Women in the Bible" by Lynn Cowell. This is a 6-week study, and the book can be purchased on Amazon or christianbook.com. Our next study, which will likely start in mid-September, will be "30 Days with Jesus" by Lynn Terkeurst. This is also a 6-week study, and the book can be purchased on Amazon or christianbook.com. We will be following the Cobb County school schedule, and all women are welcome to join us!

If you are interested in joining or have questions, please contact Robin Northcutt at 770-974-6461 (home) or 404-434-9374 (cell).

Due West MC has its very own fitness program offering classes for all levels and open to anyone age 12 and up. Classes are $4.00 (includes childcare on Monday, Wednesday & Friday) and you can find our class schedule on Facebook at Due West Adult Fitness Classes. Punch Cards are also available and cover 11 classes for $40.00. These cards are available from the class instructors.

GriefShare - Comforting Others

After the funeral, when the cards and flowers have stopped coming, most of the people around you return to their normal lives. But your grief continues and you may feel alone. Often friends and family want to help, but don't know how. That's the reason for GriefShare. Our group is led by caring people who have experienced grief and have successfully rebuilt their lives. We understand how you feel because we have been in the same place. We will walk with you on the long path through grief toward healing and restored hope for the future.

GriefShare is a nationwide network committed to biblical concepts for healing from your grief. To learn more visit the GriefShare website at www.griefshare.org.

What to Expect:

GriefShare is a group that meets weekly for 13 weeks. There are three key parts to the group.

· Video Seminar

· Support Group

· Workbook (Provided)

The next session begins Sunday, September 15th. Click here to join the group.

If you have any questions or are interested in participating, please contact Connie Morrow:
Email: cmm10500@gmail.com
Cell Phone (Preferred): 904-651-2732

Click here to learn more about GriefShare

Sunday Media Team Needs Volunteers!

Sunday mornings couldn’t happen without the hard work from our Sunday media volunteers! Song lyrics, sermon slides, livestream video, lights, offering photos, and more are only possible with your help. We have positions for all skill levels with technology and offer hands-on learning and shadowing opportunities to help get you comfortable with your position! Please email Matt or find him at the sound booth after the 8:30am or 11am Services to help keep our Sundays running smoothly!

9:45 am Service Ushers

We are in need of more ushers for the 9:45 am church service in Building C. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Sandra Imundo at Sandra.Imundo@fmc-na.com

Sunday School Volunteers

dwKids Sunday School Volunteers - Contact Alicia Iles at ailes@duewest.org for details.

August 2024 Newsletter

Keeping you updated as we gather, grow and go!

Due West Methodist Church

Sunday Service Times

August 2024 Newsletter

Keeping you updated as we gather, grow and go!

Stewardship

Pastoral Update

Seasonal Events

Ongoing Events

General Announcements

Discipleship

dwPreschool

dwKids

Youth

Music Ministry

Center for the Arts

Missions

Men's Ministry

Women's Ministry

Recreation Ministry

Congregational Care Ministry

Volunteer Opportunities

September 2024 Newsletter

July 2024 Newsletter

Due West Methodist Church

Sunday Service Times