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Worship
Stewardship
| The Heart of All We Do The Stewardship Campaign, 2007-2008
To approach the Feast of All Saints’ during the season of stewardship is to think about important things in a more profound light. While it is true that it is our local practice and no greater reason that brings these two seasons at the same time, there is reason to give this felicitous coincidence a second thought. First, just as we are always surrounded by that great cloud of witnesses, so we are always in a season of stewardship. For the sake of convenience, we tend to speak of stewardship in terms of that aspect we are working on right now, namely financial planning for the coming year’s program and ministry. Budget cycles and accounting practices influence our timing just as in most parishes. But the principles of faithful Christian stewardship are timeless: “It is very meet, right, and our bounden duty, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto thee, O Lord, holy Father, almighty, everlasting God.” When does the calendar exempt us from that bounden duty and great joy? We live in a specific context, however, and in this case that context is the year ahead for which we plan. We ask for pledges not to trap people into an obligation, but to give us a reasonable estimate of the parish’s income. Pledges are two things: They are statements of intention, and not debts as in a sales agreement. We also recognize that during the year a pledge can be adjusted – in either direction! – depending upon unforeseen changes. At the same time, pledges are also statements of commitment. Putting it simply, a pledge is one tangible mean by which one can state the level of commitment to the parish and the ministry we believe God has called us to undertake. It is not inappropriate to place pledge cards in an alms basin at the time of offertory, for they take on a role as symbol of more than just money. Giving thanks to God at all times and in all places includes pledging. Thinking of these things with All Saints’ before us calls us to see things beyond just the present moment. All Saints’ reminds us that we were not the first persons here, and that we stand in the strength and witness of a great host who have come before. St Francis is not a very old church, but enough time has passed now that there is distance, as it were, between us and those who founded this parish. We are not in their debt, for they worked not so much for us as for the Lord they loved and knew. Yet it is “our turn”, as it were, to carry on the good work which they began. Of course, this work goes back beyond the founding of this particular parish, and puts us in company of those who in all times and places have called upon the Name of the Lord. “The world is too much with us,” wrote William Wordsworth. Could it be that one way to resist that sad state is to keep in mind the timelessness to which All Saints’ points? For in so doing, we see both the longer view of why the season of stewardship is as endless as that great surrounding cloud which watches over us always, and also the importance of the immediate and timely duty and privilege to offer a pledge to the parish’s corporate life.  October 21, 2007 Gratitude deeply and sincerely felt is difficult, if not impossible, to express. There are plenty of ways to convey a sense of appreciation for some thoughtful act of kindness, for hospitality, for encouragement, or for other small blessings. It is the kind of gratitude one feels at other times that often defies expression. The risk of sounding insincere often leaves us almost inarticulate, even when our heart is full. We recently read an account of just such a moment. Consider it again: Luke 17:11-19. Jesus heals ten lepers. We are familiar by now with the stigma and alienation those poor souls endured. Jesus had not only restored their health; he had given them new life. Yet only one returned to give thanks – a Samaritan, the least likely in the eyes of those who witnessed this moment. The Samaritan’s faith impressed our Lord, and that faith was centered in gratitude. Gratitude has been much on my mind recently. It is very difficult to express thanks adequately for the numerous acts of grace and kindness I have received after my short stay in the hospital, but those thanks are no less vivid and lasting. I have more reasons for gratitude than this space allows, and some other time I might be able to offer some of them for your consideration. But for now, I want to make one direct point, without qualification. I found myself in the company of that Samaritan the other day, wanting to come to church to kneel and thank God for his bountiful goodness. Most Sundays I have a sense of that. On normal occasions, heedful attention to “The General Thanksgiving” says it for me, as I have written here before. But once again, with Jennifer beside me, it meant so very much to be able to kneel in this church, as undeserving as a Samaritan, and yet have reason to give thanks. I think I began to understand that moment St Luke narrated at a deeper level than ever before. Stewardship is the expression of gratitude. When all else is said and done, without truly thankful hearts, our practice of faithful Christian stewardship will be pallid and insincere. The Wardens and Vestry discharge their responsibilities with faithfulness in drafting budgets, overseeing the finances, and keeping the parish advised of the well-being of our parish in that respect. They have never insulted your spiritual commitment by asking that you pledge “to a budget”, as one might honorably do to a capital campaign or annual giving in a school. But they do put before you the facts, and I hope you will take their words to heart. Once you have done that, think further in a different and broader context. Think in terms of your gratitude to God for “our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life.” There is no other way to put it. And then, when you have prayed for guidance and strength, pray that your heart will lead you to act in ways as grateful and remarkable as that Samaritan, and that in so doing, you will discover what faithful stewardship can truly be. — WMS
The website of The Episcopal Church (TEC) makes for interesting reading. If one wishes to see corporate spin dressed up in vestments, that’s the place to look. Often it pays to test the public face on the website against other realities closer to home. Whether it is the blandishments of politicians seeking our vote or the subtle enticements of advertisers seeking our dollars, spin is beguiling. How it stacks up against reality is sometimes another matter. Let’s put some spin to that reality test. The subject is stewardship, and these thoughts come from the website of our denominational office. First, consider these three questions “we want everyone (adults, youth, and children) to be able to answer:” o What does it mean to be a steward? o Of what are we stewards? o What is the role of money in my life, as a member of the Body of Christ? So far, so good, as those are all questions worthy of examination. The first two probably are answered better after some attention to that subject is drawn by lay leaders and clergy on the parish level. That is the purpose of this month’s activities at St Francis. Perhaps you are already well-versed in the answers. If so, please help us spread the word, and do not be bashful in doing so. The third, however, is a question that can be answered honestly only in prayerful reflection. Thoughts about stewardship should help us clear up definitions, but denial is so easy when it comes to our relation to money. Jesus did not mince words: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” That’s a good place to start the examination. The website goes on to list “key concepts we want everyone to know.” Here they are, in the context of stewardship: o God loves us and wants us to have that we need to live a joyful and productive life. o All that we are and all that we have are gifts from God. o Regularly giving of our time, abilities, energy, and money is a spiritual practice. o Tithing is an important spiritual practice. It helps establish a healthy regard for money. It helps us to live the life God hopes we will have. Again, so far so good. With which of those “key concepts” could one disagree? Even in a day when one is wise to take with a grain of salt things which are spun, as it were, by the denominational office, occasionally something is so solid that it merits our attention, not as Episcopalians, but as would be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. This is such an occasion, and the subject is surely worth our attention and our prayers. There are many things to consider about what it means to be a faithful steward, just as there are many other aspects of spiritual practice (to use the term in the “key concepts”). But not to give our discipleship as faithful stewards a period of prayerful, honest reflection is simply not to do our bounden duty, and to prove ourselves less faithful than God has given us grace to be. I encourage each member of our parish community to pray for a richer measure of grace to consider these things, and then to act upon them. — WMS
It is indeed a brave, new world in which we live, and one can learn about vast fields of knowledge which could not have existed just a short time ago. Here is one, and I wonder if you have heard of it: Neuroeconomics. This discipline is too novel to appear in my Oxford dictionaries, but some further digging revealed that neuroeconomics combines the fields of neuroscience, economics, and psychology in an attempt to explain why we make certain choices. I am sure that is an over-simplification, but I hope I am in the responsible vicinity. Dr. Paul J. Zak is the pioneer of this field. He is on the faculty of Claremont Graduate University in California. I happened upon his name in an article on philanthropic and charitable giving in the United States. Dr. Zak says in 2006, Americans gave $295 billion to charity, of which 75.6% came from individual donors. That is a remarkable financial statement, and it bears witness to the oft-observed trait of American generosity. Dr. Zak has expressed the thesis that one reason people give is because it quite literally makes us feel good. This is more than just a “warm, fuzzy” response, but rather is tied to reactions deep within our brain. The very simple article that pointed this to me went on to say that even our neighbors at the National Institutes of Health have explored these areas. Consider this opening salvo in an NIH release from April 4, 2007: “It’s an enduring mystery that taunts neuroscientists and evolutionary biologist. If the human brain evolved to maximize its owner’s survival, why are we motivated to help others, even when it incurs some personal cost?” Why indeed? This is far beyond my ken on every level. I know nothing of neurology, economics, or serious psychology. (That doesn’t usually stop preachers and prelates from holding forth, but I shall demur to offer further analysis.) But there is something tantalizing in the nature of these scientific investigations. More than once, in the superficial reading I did, the question was posed in these terms: Might we be “hard-wired”, to mix metaphors, in such a way that giving is something we are “supposed” to do, or, at least, do because the “rewards” are beneficial and pleasurable? From a theological perspective, I would not be surprised to learn that the answer to that question is in the affirmative. God created us in the divine image, and one of the things we know about God is that it is of God’s very property and nature to give. All that we are and all that we have (note the order) is a gift of God. We speak of our stewardship of God’s creation, and we measure that often in terms of time, talent, treasure. Those are categories we don’t need NIH to explain. I do not expect neuroeconomics to put forth a treatise on Christian stewardship, but there is nothing inconsistent with the Christian’s coming to a profound truth a step before the scientists. We give because we have received, just as we love because God first loved us. Stewardship has long been seen as a fundamental aspect of our Christian discipleship. It is just that important. Now it appears that it is also part of what our fundamental inner workings lead us to do. Perhaps a good parish stewardship campaign is really one which helps us claim and live in that truth. Isn’t that what it means to escape denial? — WMS   |   | of our Youth Ministry: click here to hear Elizabeth Axelson; click here to hear Kai Mongan.
—Jan van de Snepscheut
Please call the church office at (301)365-2055 if you have not received a pledge card and want to make a pledge to the church. At St. Francis we receive what's most important to us (the Good News of God in Jesus Christ), we give thanks to our Lord for it, and we gladly give that treasure away. Your annual pledge helps us extend that hospitality to all. And your pledge tells us, "I am part of this community, and I want to show that this church and its goals are important to me." Pledging is an important part of membership at St. Francis.
ment to faithful steward- ship of the gifts that God has given to you. And when you give to St. Francis, we demonstrate that respect by expressing our thanks to you, by keeping accurate and confidential records of your contributions, and by sending you complete annual statements to facilitate your tax preparation. Please let us know if you wish your giving to St. Francis Church to be anonymous. We deeply appreciate your generosity. Through our shared commitment to this community, we stand united in ministry and mission.  |
