Christ is Risen, He has risen indeed!!! Alleluia. we had 133 in church on Easter, and what a fantastic celebration it was.

Blessings to each and everyone of you. May the Easter resurrection continue to bless you, embrace you and empower you to live in the footsteps of Jesus, our Lord. The tomb is empty. Jesus’ to-do list was finished. What is on our list that needs attention: unspoken prayers? service and servant ministry uncompleted? forgiveness to another or of the self? relationships that need attention or healing? learning to better walk in the footsteps of Jesus? etc. 

Easter is 50 days in length. During these fifty days, discover ways that you can tend to your list, and then realize that as you do, you give new life, you experience the Easter joy and the resurrection is lived. Bless as you have been blessed. Love as you have been loved by the Father and by our Lord. And Know that St. Mary’s is filled with Easter Joy. We are getting ready to plan a full summer of activities. And watch your newsletter for details about events as well as ways to authentically live out your faith.

An Easter Challenge: St. Mary’s is grateful for each and every one of you. For the talents you share, for the wisdom you proclaim; for your commitment to the Gospel; for the time invested in your faith and in our Lord; and for the treasure you so generously bless St. Mary’s with. We as a Cathedral are thankful and blessed because of you. The challenge I present to you is this: It takes about $13,000 per week to run the Cathedral. This includes building expense, salaries, utilities, office supplies, ministry, youth, Christian education, insurance and the like. We no longer are giving to the community breakfast or to POP TOPS. Those ministries are self-funded as of today. Our largest expense, as with most organizations, is staffing. The finance committee has done extremely well trimming $100,000 from the expense column in the budget. Their hope is to have a balanced budget in the next couple of years. They, including myself, believe that as we all work together, a balanced budget is a reality. I would like for you to look at your blessings. Then pray and thank the Lord for his mercies. Then look at what you give to St. Mary’s. Can you increase your giving by 1 percent or by 3 percent? The Bible sets the bar very high—maybe too high for most of us to think about. Giving proportionately means offering a portion of income with the goal of the “tithe” - giving 10%. The stewardship journey, however, is different for every person and family. We all begin in different places and we all end up in different places. Proportional giving helps us understand where we are on the journey. Figure out where you are on your stewardship journey, and pray about how you may step it up. This is not to measure your giving but to help you prayerfully be faithful in your living. A senior citizen living on a fixed, modest income who gives 5% is a more faithful proportionate giver than one blessed with many resources who gives only 1% of what she/he has received. Sound suspiciously familiar? Sounds like Jesus.

Be blessed and bless as you have been blessed. Experience the Easter joy today and always.

Rev Jean Vargo