1. March 2018 | Care Contact 15 • Gain all you can • Save all you can • Give all you can John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, preached those famous principles in the 18th century. What does it mean to be a good steward of all that God has entrusted to us today? This October, twenty-two students from Sabah Theological Seminary learned biblical principles and practices for family and church financial management with Malaysian Care. Here are some thoughts on the course from the students and facilitators: Firton, a pastor from Pitas, says he can now keep smiling even in times of lack because he has learned to control his spending well. “Saya bersyukur kerana mendapat peluang untuk belajar dengan Malaysian Care tentang bagaimana menjaga nilai wang serta penggunaan yang bijak dan teratur. Saya... menjalankan kehidupan sebagai seorang gembala yang penuh kekurangan, namun masih mampu tersenyum kerana masih dapat mengawal perbelanjaan dengan baik.” Another pastor from Pitas, Parasdin, felt his heart moved to share what he has learned with his church. "Hati saya tergerak menganjurkan kursus seumpama ini... Harapan saya di masa akan datang, gereja akan memperolehi kemahiran dalam mengurus kewangan yang bersesuaian dengan Alkitab yang lebih mendalam." The facilitators benefited from the course too. Malaysian Care staff Nicholas Putra shares: "As a new facilitator, I am not only teaching but also practising it in my daily life. Whenever I plan to buy something, these three questions will pop up in my mind: Perlukah? Ada Gantikah? Boleh tunggukah? These three words have really changed my spending pattern." Finally, we want to thank Trish Tan, a financial consultant who came all the way from Kuala Lumpur to teach church financial management. She shares: "If the leaders of churches do not realise the importance of managing their finances with God's help, their ministries can be hindered. Problems relating to finance in a church can also become great cracks for the entrance of the evil one." Money can be squandered or used for evil, but it can also be food for the hungry and drink for the thirsty. May we continue daily to grow in our faithfulness as stewards. n Managing Money, God's Way Hui-En is a community worker with Pusat Care Kota Kinabalu who is still learning what it means to store up treasures in heaven and not on earth. by Hwa Hui-En Community of stewards TRANSFORMATION STORIES If the leaders of churches do not realise the importance of managing their finances with God's help, their ministries can be hindered. Problems relating to finance in a church can also become great cracks for the entrance of the evil one.