No matter where they’re located around the world, Christians are giving sacrificially of their resources to fuel the life and work of the church. From some perspectives, giving looks the same the world over. From others, generosity is profoundly diverse.
An Indian believer saving grains of rice, a Swedish university student making an electronic transfer from his smartphone, a Nebraska farmer’s wife scratching numbers on a mauve paper check, a rural Sudanese Christian giving a brace of chickens to the church, an urban Kenyan pulling cash from his wallet as he dances to the offering box: these are but a few of the myriad ways that Christians around the world support local congregations and global mission.
Where can you get an accurate, worldwide view of Christian giving?
The Global Generosity Movement is a great place to start. The organization (generositymovement.org), a partnership between the World Evangelical Alliance and the Lausanne Movement, works to encourage connections related to generosity for believers globally.
The site offers free individual, church, and organization accounts that allow users to share content and resources, engage with Scripture, and connect with other site users on an interactive map. The site serves as a hub for excellent, inspiring content on generosity.
It’s a good reminder that generosity is not just about what we give; it’s about who we are, together.
—Paul Pastor
‘Buhfai Tham’: giving a Handful of Rice
In the Indian state of Mizoram, believers are raising millions of dollars for local ministry and global mission, one handful of rice at a time. They set aside a portion of rice at every meal for God, and when it has accumulated, donate it to their local church, which sells the rice to generate income. The churches in Mizoram are self-sufficient, and able to engage in heavy missions work.
In 1914 the sale from the handful of rice initiative added up to a dollar and a half in U.S. money. In 2009-10 the year’s haul was $1.5 million, about 12 percent of this remarkable congregation’s total giving (which was over $13 million). They are able to support more than 1,800 missionaries, in addition to local ministry. People are giving more, and in more creative ways, as vegetables, firewood, and other resources join the steady flow of rice that feeds the Mizo church’s work for the kingdom.
Now that’s a taste of the power of faithful giving.
Watch these generous believers share their story at vimeo.com/16288195#
“It is not our richness or our poverty that make us serve the Lord, but our willingness. So we Mizo people say, ‘As long as we have something to eat every day, we have something to give to God every day.'”
—Rev. Zosangliana Colney Mizoram Presbyterian Church, Mizoram, India
Ugandan Refugees share the Power of Stewardship
When his people were forced to flee their village and live two years in a refugee camp, Bishop Hannington Bahemuka of Uganda rose to improve the terrible conditions of the camps. Amid food and water shortages, disease, and frequent deaths, he inspired his congregation to generous stewardship.
“I had been taught that everything we have belongs to God,” said Bishop Hannington. “Even in this refugee camp, God has put abundant resources for his work. So I called upon the believers to start sharing what they have with the needy.”
The response was powerful. Among other initiatives, Christians organized a campaign to provide blankets for camp orphans. Their hardships didn’t end when they were able to go home. After two years in the camp, they returned to their village only to find it razed by war. People began to ask how the West could help them, only to be opposed by Bishop Hannington’s belief that their own community’s generosity was the place to start.
Inspired that their stewardship could be the work of God among them, they rallied to rebuild their community and care for their needy.
Watch Bishop Hannington’s and his church reflect on their experience at vimeo.com/15811443.
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