“We’ve just made it through tax day, and people may be feeling pillaged,” said Eric Heard, Newport resident and Pastor of Stewardship at Mariners Church. “This is the perfect time to talk about money! Our Financially Free course is open to everybody, whether you believe in God or not. There are century-old principles that absolutely work, and the principles work wherever you are on your faith journey. God cares deeply about your heart, and your heart will determine how you manage your money.”
“I asked Patrice to teach a course years ago because she knows so much about Biblical stewardship,” Heard continued. “She’s amazing, she doesn’t get paid or get clients from doing this. She does it out of the sheer passion of seeing people get out of the bondage of debt and understand and benefit from God’s wisdom and principles about finances. Jesus speaks more about money than any other subject and this will get them into God’s Word.”
The Financially Free course runs five Tuesdays from April 23 to May 21, 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Mariners. The cost is $50 per person or per family, and is taught by Patrice Jeffries, President and CEO at PMA Financial Services.
“When I looked at existing curriculum, it didn’t address the root of the problem,” Jeffries explained. “Handling finances is foremost a heart issue, and if we don’t change hearts, we’ll never change people’s finances. Teaching someone to prepare a budget means nothing if they’re only looking for a quick fix. They need to deal with the root of their spending problems. I had to write a new course, Financially Free, something I could put my name, heart and reputation behind.”
“Living free is a huge theme in my life,” Jeffries continued. “I want to motivate people to get free in every area, convincing them that there is a God who loves them and created them with a great purpose, and no matter how much debt or mess they’ve made, it is never to late with Him.”
Over 1500 people from the church and community have gone through the course over the years.
“Our society teaches people to live above their means, which leads to ingratitude and a sense of entitlement,” Heard said. “Patrice helps people learn to be grateful and content with what God has provided, and how to rewire their thinking and heart to practice the universal principle that we must spend less than we earn individually, and globally and save for the future. The class gives the specific tools and actions to accomplish this.”
Topics include: the purpose of life, why we are here; the purpose of money, why God created it and the blessing it should be in our lives; the purpose of work and developing a life plan; budgeting, saving, getting out of debt and generous giving; financial tips re: credit scores, leasing vs. buying, and managing expenses; and investing, insurance and estate planning.
“Once people understand and live by God’s principles, they start to get out of debt, and start to feel a sense of peace,” Heard explained. “They stop trusting in money and let money work for them instead of them working for money. That leads to freedom, and generosity. Typically we think of generosity in terms of wealthy people, but generosity is a mindset of abundance, not scarcity.”
“This has become my passion,” Jeffries said. “I have not only seen lives changed from despair to true lasting freedom, but I have seen miracle after miracle and God showing up as participants have surrendered their hearts and implemented the truth we teach, and started managing their finances God’s way. It is humbling to be a part of something where God is working mightily.”
For further information, go to marinerschurch.org.
Cindy can be reached at cindy@onthegrow.com.
