Lesson 8

Sunday-school Finance

#89. Christian giving is Christian worship.# No test of Christian
character is so accurate or severe as the motive and method of giving.
Giving is a Christian grace, and the Sunday-school is the best place
to cultivate it. The Sunday-school should be the "West Point" of the
church, in this as in other things. Since the Sunday-school is a
church service, the church is evidently responsible for its
maintenance and support. It does not follow, however, that the church
should pour into the Sunday-school all the money it needs, nor that
the Sunday-school should give away all the money it raises.

#90. The Financial Board.#--There is in many a church, and should be
in every one, a board having the special care of the finances of the
Sunday-school. This board should be composed of certain officials in
both the church and the Sunday-school, so that their action may be
wise and intelligent. Certainly the pastor, superintendent, church
treasurer, and school treasurer should be members of this board. They
should be empowered to carry out the financial policy of the school,
direct in all matters of financial detail, audit all bills, and see
that these are promptly paid, so the good credit of the school may be
maintained.

#91. The Budget.#--At the beginning of each year a carefully prepared
budget should be presented by the Financial Board, indicating how much
money the school will be asked to raise, and what proportion of it
should be used for benevolences, church support, school expenses, etc.
A liberal allowance should be made for unexpected expenditures that
cannot be foreseen. The budget should be printed, so that each member
may have a copy. If satisfactory, the budget may be accepted by the
school, by vote, as an indication of its loyalty to the board and to
the church.

#92. Right Motives in Giving.#--All giving should be "as unto the
Lord." The scholars should be taught that we are all stewards, and
that everything we have belongs to God. Sunday-schools properly
imbued with right motives in giving to-day mean churches aflame with
financial and spiritual power to-morrow. When the motive is right,
giving is a means of Christian growth. Love is the only worthy motive;
giving is the test of love. You can give without loving, but you
cannot love without giving; God _so loved_ the World that he _gave_
his only son. Without love, there is no joy in giving. Without joy in
giving,