From a young age, it was impressed upon David Haila to give to his local church. His parents instilled in him a sense of monetary responsibility and to give wholeheartedly to the mission of the church. While as a child it may have seemed more of a duty, David has found over the years, that joy in giving comes from convictions of the heart and a stewardship over the resources God has entrusted to him and his family.
“There’s a joy and peace from knowing you’re using your resources to the fullest extent,” David said.
It is with that mindset he and his wife, Rachel, have become benefactors to the Ames-Des Moines CityChurch and to BILD International.
Throughout their marriage, the Hailas have supported their local church through hospitality, teaching, and the discipline of giving financially.
“We are, and have been, long-time hosts within the network because of becoming established around the ideas of using our resources for ministry purposes,” David said.
Their role as benefactors to their church family is seen weekly when they open their home on Sunday evenings as their church gathers. Their hospitality and leadership have helped establish others in the first principles of the faith, and their commitment has also allowed them to host international church leaders who have attended BILD’s annual fall conference.
Just as their parents before them, David and Rachel have continued to pass these principles to their own children. “The way that we participate is as a family,” David said. “It’s not just a David thing or a Rachel thing, but something that everyone participates in. We’re striving to create a strong and purposeful family, and that means everyone fully participates and these are some of the ways we do that.”
David said the impact they have as a family relates to Christ and the church—the family unit and the family structure that is present in every culture and is God’s design. “Strong churches are comprised of strong families,” he said. “We are doing our part to be a faithful family striving after the same thing.”
As a leader and a benefactor, David has been impacted by his own interactions with international church leaders and the need for training leaders in the church.“
There’s a role that leadership plays to strengthen the communities of faith and further the kingdom,” David said, “which in turn lends to the stewardship of giving faithfully.”
“The Spirit has laid it on our heart to give and experience the joy that comes from participating in God’s work through our financial resources, which is an act of faith,” he said.
Ultimately, he sees the effectiveness of using resources and helping believers reflect on the issues that are facing their culture. Having that in mind, David and his family are dedicated to using their gifts to further the gospel not just in central Iowa but around the world.