Why We give
Giving is part of what it means to follow Jesus!
God Gave First: The most important thing we believe about giving is that God gave first. God gave us the gift of life and then graciously gave us the gift of salvation through his Son Jesus Christ. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most generous gift ever given. All of our giving is in response to God, not to repay Him, but out of gratitude for his remarkable gift.
Grace Giving: At Calvary we teach a concept called “Grace Giving” By that we believe that Christians are called to give not out of obligation or rules, but out of response to the Grace of God. Rather than insisting on a certain amount or percent, Grace Giving means that each of us give generously, joyfully, voluntarily, proportionally and regularly as God leads us. For some, that may mean giving just a little and for others it will mean giving a lot. But each of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus are called to give in response to God’s grace.
Giving Changes Us: We believe that the person most impacted by generosity is the one who gives. When we give sacrificially, we loosen the grip that wealth and possessions has on our lives and experience more of the freedom that Christ died to bring us. We remember the words of the Lord Jesus himself when he said “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)
The Local Church: We believe that, as Christ-followers, we are called to financially support our local church and elders. In addition, God calls us to demonstrate mercy and compassion through giving aimed at caring for widows and orphans, those who are poor and needy, and foreigners in our community (2 Chronicles 31:4, Deuteronomy 26:12, 1 Corinthians 9:8-14, 1 Timothy 5:17-18, Luke 8:1-3, Isaiah 58:6-12, Deuteronomy 26:12, 2 Corinthians 8-9).
How we give
We see in God’s Word numerous teachings for each believer in regards to money. Scripture provides encouragement so that we can…
Give cheerfully and joyfully – demonstrating an overflowing of love for our God (2 Corinthians 9:7).
Give our first fruits – meaning we give of our best and rely on God to provide the remainder of our needs (Deuteronomy 26:2, Proverbs 3:9).
Give humbly – not looking for praise, but seeking eternal rewards (Matthew 6:2).
Give regularly – to remind ourselves of His provision to us continually (1 Corinthians 16:2).
Give sacrificially – so we reflect the way Christ gave to us (2 Corinthians 8:9-10).
Where Does the money go?
When you give, the money allows our church to do ministry in 3 primary areas….
Ministry on campus – The money you give makes all that we do on this campus possible. This includes our ministry to children, students, young adults, men, women and those affected by disability. It makes possible everything from weekly church services to annual events and everything in-between. It pays our bills and allows us to keep the doors open on the remarkable property God has blessed us with.
Ministry in the community – Your generosity funds the ministry we do for the homeless and the hungry in our community who come for a meal, winter shelter, clothes, food and other financial needs. It supports our care center that allows us to provide counseling for the hurting and broken and visitation for those who are in the hospital. The funds go toward projects at schools, struggling churches and people affected by natural disaster.
Ministry around the world – Your giving funds our 60+ mission partners all around the world who are sharing the Gospel, training pastors, planting churches, building schools, starting orphanages and drilling wells all around the world. In addition to funding these partners, we also give generously toward building and infrastructure projects that help propel ministries forward and equip them for their mission for decades to come.
Financial Accountability
We are serious about making sure money at Calvary is handled properly
“We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.” 2 Corinthians 8:20-21 (NIV)
- Calvary Community Church is committed to honoring God’s provision by exercising wise and faithful stewardship, ethical business practices, and full accountability to ensure the financial integrity of Calvary Community remains above reproach. We accomplish this through a system of internal controls and an internal budgeting and reporting process.
- In addition, an annual audit is performed by an independent certified public accounting firm, CapinCrouse LLP.
- Calvary Community Church is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). ECFA is an accreditation agency that is dedicated to helping Christian ministries uphold high standards for responsible stewardship. For more information on ECFA, visit www.ecfa.org.
- Anyone may request a copy of Calvary Community’s most recently audited financial statements. Contact us at giving@calvarywestlake.org or 818.991.8040 to ask general questions about our financial practices.
Privacy & refund policy
Information about our privacy & refund policy at Calvary
Calvary Community Church is highly sensitive to the privacy interests of consumers and believes that the protection of those interests is one of its most significant responsibilities. In acknowledgment of its obligations, Calvary Community Church has adopted the following Privacy Policy applicable to information about consumers that it acquires in the course of its business:
1. Acquisition of Information. We do not acquire any more information about consumers than is required by law or is otherwise necessary to provide a high level of service efficiently and securely.
2. Our Employees and Privacy. We train all of our employees about the importance of privacy. We give access to information about consumers only to those employees who require it to perform their jobs.
3. Security Measures. We make access to privacy-sensitive information subject to rigorous procedural and technological controls, consistent with legal requirements and the demands of customer service.
4. Disclosure to Third Parties. We will provide individually-identifiable information about consumers to third parties only if we are compelled to do so by order of a duly-empowered governmental authority, we have the express permission of the consumer, or it is necessary to process transactions and provide our services.
5. Privacy and Our Business Partners. When we make our technology or services available to business partners, we will not share with them any more consumer information than is necessary, and we will make every reasonable effort to assure, by contract or otherwise, that they use our technology and services in a manner that is consistent with this Privacy Policy.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. Thank you.
Refund Policy
All donations are considered final.