Can your money buy happiness?

We all know money doesn't buy happiness, but a new study published by the University of Cambridge suggests that giving to a charity will 'buy' you some.

At this time of year, we sometimes like to pretend that we are done with giving. Christmas is over, New Years already ushered in 2018, and most of us are focused on what we can do to make our own personal lives better. According to researchers at the University of Cambridge analyzed over 76,000 transactions from 625 participants over a period of six months and discovered that spending money on things that makes you happy is successful when it comes to giving to charity.

Pastor Tony Froese from Bethel Community Church agrees with this statement, and explains why you should consider giving even in the quiet time after Christmas: "New years day, the gym is full. You have a ton of people with their fresh commitments. But to faithfully show up every day and do something over and over, that takes a whole other part of a human being. That takes another level of discipline. I think giving is the same way."

He adds, "But the power of giving is much more relevant in our lives when we consistently show up. If the only time we give is when we have the emotion to give, that's not really stepping into the fullness of the power of giving. The whole word 'forgiveness' is sandwiched with that word 'give' in it."

"And that's the gospel: that we are for-giving. And if God has for-given us, then we are for-giving to others... in whatever sense that is."

Pastor Froese reflects on testimonies he has heard from others: "There's a lot of stories that come to mind in people's lives where the effect of giving is more blessed than receiving... That's the power of giving over receiving. Whatever you give away, God will, in some form or another, bless you abundantly more than if you were to just hoard it or hold onto it."

Frank Ulrich, the Executive Director of Union Gospel Mission, and Pastor Terry with Adult and Teen Challenge added their thoughts to this topic.

Ulrich informed us, "We see notes from people that they send in that say 'thank you so much for the work that you're doing, we're so thankful, we're praying for you,' etc. That to me suggests that people feel blessed to be able to give to the Mission. People that come in to volunteer their time, energy, and their passion. I try to thank them and they regularly say 'it's an honor. It's something that God has given me, and its something I want to utilize and bless other people with.' "

"The needs continue. In terms of physical needs, a man came to us looking for warm clothing. Unfortunately, we didn't have any mitts which was very uncomfortable to share with him. Winter jackets, mitts, those kinds of things... There's a great need for that."

In terms of finances, he explained that 89% of Union Gospel Mission's finances comes from private individuals' support.

"We have financial needs in terms of heating buildings, operating facilities... There are affixed variable costs that we need to meet. Those needs continue even after the Christmas season."

Frank Ulrich thinks forgetting to give after Christmas is a cultural norm with taking time off around the holidays with a focus on family and friends whereas in January its back to everyday life. He recommends monthly giving, "Monthly giving is huge... That would be a wonderful way to support God's work here at Union Gospel Mission."

Pastor Terry shared some testimonies, "Just in the Holidays, I had a family that was so excited about a gift they wanted to give to Adult and Teen Challenge. It was exciting for them to choose together where it was going to go to in different ministries. It brought joy to them because they continually hear and see the results of what their giving produces and what God does with it."

"It definitely does return joy to people."

He told us that the winter months, they focus on being good stewards of their resources. It does tend to go down a little bit. "Some fun ways people do get involved in January and February is they may apply to register for part of our snowmobile events. It's kind of like a two-way street. It benefits both the giver and the receiver."

Pastor Terry thinks giving in January may slow down because of things getting a little tighter. However, there are still ongoing needs and people that need support even in the new year.