THE CAMPSITE
Everyone has something to bring.
God created you with gifts, passions, and resources that can strengthen the people around you.
AROUND THE CAMPSITE
Everybody contributes differently.
Spend enough time around a campsite and you'll notice something pretty quickly:
Everyone contributes differently.
One person gathers firewood. Another starts the fire. Someone cooks. Someone organizes.
Someone notices when others need help. Someone keeps everyone laughing after a long day on the trail.
The best campsites aren't built by one person doing everything.
They're built by lots of people bringing what they have.
Following Jesus works much the same way.
CREATED WITH A PURPOSE
God has given you something to bring.
As you continue your faith journey, you'll discover that God has uniquely designed you.
You have gifts. You have abilities. You have experiences. You have passions.
And none of them are accidental
The Bible compares the Church to a human body.
Different parts. Different roles. Different strengths.
But all working together.
"For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others."
ROMANS 12:4-5
You have something valuable to offer.
Maybe you encourage people naturally.
Maybe you're organized.
Maybe you're good at listening. Maybe you love helping behind the scenes. Maybe you enjoy teaching, serving, leading, building, fixing, coaching, cooking, creating, or caring for others.
The point isn't that everyone brings the same thing.
The point is every gift can be used by God.
THE HEART BEHIND IT.
Love is what makes it matter.
The purpose of our gifts isn't recognition.
It's love.
Gifts without love become performance.
But gifts fueled by love
can change lives.
When we encourage someone, serve someone, pray for someone, or help carry another person's burden, we're reflecting the heart of Jesus
And little by little, we help strengthen the people around us.
WHERE SERVING HAPPENS
Serving goes beyond the church building.
INSIDE THE CHURCH
Greeting people.
Helping kids learn about Jesus.
Running Tech.
Making coffee.
Leading a small group.
OUTSIDE THE CHURCH
Coaching a team.
Helping a neighbor.
Volunteering in the community.
Being a trustworthy coworker.
Showing kindness everyday.
Wherever God has placed you, He can use you.
Every interaction becomes an opportunity to reflect His love.
OPEN-HANDED FAITH
Generosity is part of what we bring.
Not everything we contribute is a skill or talent.
Sometimes we bring our time. Sometimes we bring encouragement. Sometimes we bring resources. Generosity is simply another way we contribute to the journey.
The first Christians became known for this kind of generosity.
"All the believers were together. They shared everything they had."
ACTS 2:44
Why were they so generous?
Because they understood how generous God had already been to them.
When you realize how much grace you've received, generosity begins to grow naturally in your heart.
You start holding your time, money, possessions, and opportunities a little differently.
Not with closed hands
But with open ones.
START WHERE YOU ARE
Don't start with pressure. Start with trust.
Sometimes people hear words like giving or generosity and immediately feel overwhelmned.
Generosity isn't about becoming instantly perfect.
It's about learning to live open-handed with what God has given you.
BUYING SOMEONE LUNCH
HELPING A FAMILY IN NEED
VOLUNTEERING YOUR TIME
GIVING FINANCIALLY FOR THE FIRST TIME
SUPPORTING YOUR CHURCH
ENCOURAGING SOMEONE STRUGGLING
SHARING YOUR SKILLS WITH SOMEONE
STARTING WHERE YOU CAN
God uses generous people.
Generosity changes us as much as it helps others.
It teaches us trust. It grows gratitude. It loosens our grip on fear.
It reminds us that everything we have ultimately comes from God anyway.
And somehow, when we live generously, God keeps providing what we need along the journey.
You can never out-give God.
THIS WEEKS CHALLENGE
What are you bringing to the campsite?
Discover what God has placed in your life
What comes naturally to you? What do people tell you you're good at? What opportunities has God placed around you? How could you use those things to help someone else?
Then ask God: “What have You given me to bring?”
Talk with a pastor, small group leader, or ministry leader about ways you can begin using your gifts to serve others. Then take one simple step.
Practice Generosity
This week, give something away - your time, your encouragement, your skills, or your resources.
Let generosity stretch your faith a little.
Then pay attention to what God does — not just around you, but inside you.
WANT TO GO DEEPER?
More resources on serving, generosity, and discovering your purpose.
"We are the Church" Sermon
In 1 Corinthians 12-27, God uses the word body 18 times to describe His church.
"Steps: Giving" Sermon
When we take steps forward we make progress! In our message series, STEPS, we will all look to take a step forward in 5 areas of growth in our walk with the Lord.
"Focus on Serving" Sermon
God did not comfort us to be comforted. He comforted us so that we can become comforters and serve those around us. We see this in the story of Barnabas and the importance of serving
"Jumpstart your Generosity" Sermon
Giving is more than just your money it is an attitude and a lifestyle.
Every great campsite is built by people
who contribute what they have.
The same is true in God's family.
You don't have to do everything. You don't have to be someone else.
You simply bring what God has entrusted to you.
And when ordinary people use their gifts, time, and resources with love… God does extraordinary things through them.