Comment by Harborough churches: Generosity comes in many forms
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Imagine turning up to your regular church service one Sunday to find the main door firmly shut, locked and bolted and with a large notice pinned to it saying: “You have all been coming here for long enough. Now go out and do something about it!”
Such was the challenge issued to a congregation in Yorkshire some years ago (as recalled by the Right Revd Lord Stuart Blanch, former Archbishop of York). Jesus’ last earthly words to His disciples before His ascension were not to stay indoors and talk amongst themselves about the amazing rollercoaster the past three years had been, but rather to go out and “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).
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Hide AdGod is a generous God, challenging His followers to reflect His love by going out into the world, sharing the Good News and being generous to others. It has been said that having a faith of some kind makes people more generous in terms of charitable giving, but then again, as James Burkhill reminds us in a letter in the Irish Independent, ‘the two most charitable people in the entire history of the planet are both atheists.’ He refers to Bill Gates and Warren Buffet who between them have donated billions of pounds to charity. It cannot therefore be assumed that people of faith exercise a monopoly on charitable giving.

Humanly speaking, generosity comes in many forms. At The Cube (youth centre in Market Harborough) we have experienced increasingly that people are not just generous with their money but also with volunteering their time, knowledge, skills and interactions to benefit the young people we work with, enabling them to thrive. In recent months we have benefitted hugely from the generosity of the local community – from the local communications business who sent volunteers to help re-paint the interior of the Cube, to the gym that has offered to help us with events, gardening and offering exercise sessions with the young people. And our regular volunteers who support the young people week-in and week-out in the evening sessions at the Cube or in the office are amazing. The same can be said of the young people themselves who want to give something back by volunteering their time. Thank you one and all!
In the Book of Proverbs (in the Bible) we find these words, “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25), meaning that when we refresh others through our generosity, God refreshes us in return. Giving becomes then not just a duty, but rather a privilege and a joy.
If you would like to find out more about the work of The Cube, we would love to hear from you. Tel: 01858 437650. Website: www.thecubeyouth.org.uk