Opportunities to Give
OKLAHOMA CITY – As the new stewardship director for the Oklahoma Conference, I’m excited to serve in a completely volunteer capacity. I accepted this role because I am deeply passionate about managing God’s resources for His glory and honor—and I invite you to be part of the mission by giving to Oklahoma 2% Offering.
Too often, stewardship has been viewed as the conference simply asking for more money from its members. I want to help change that perception. I believe that when we each learn to manage our finances at home according to God’s Word, we will discover that there is more left over to support the cause of God. True stewardship begins in the heart and is lived out in the home—long before it ever reaches the offering plate.
When we personally experience God’s financial principles working in our lives, gratitude naturally follows—and giving becomes a joyful response, not an obligation. My goal is to help empower families and individuals with biblical financial principles that lead to both freedom and faithfulness. Stewardship is not merely about dollars and cents; it’s about trust, discipline and spiritual growth.
Ellen G. White says in Adventist Home, “In our use of money we can make it an agent of spiritual improvement by regarding it as a sacred trust, not to be employed to administer to pride, vanity, appetite or passion.” She also reminds us, “Money is not necessarily a curse; it is of high value because, if rightly appropriated, it can do good in the salvation of souls, in blessing others who are poorer than ourselves.”
As we see from these inspired words, money plays a vital role in our spiritual journey. I have witnessed this truth in the lives of others I’ve had the privilege to counsel—families who found peace, joy and generosity when they placed God first in their finances. My prayer is that, through my time as stewardship director, I can be a blessing to our churches and help each member experience the freedom and joy of faithful stewardship.
Together, we can nurture faith, foster connection and inspire service.
By Gio Marin
