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2026 Stewardship Drive
Hello, for those who don’t know me, my name is Cory McCaig. I joined St. Cuthbert’s church in 1977, and I’ll never forget the day. I used to live 5 doors down the street, so I walked across and went into the church. The minister, Mr. Sendell, met me at the door, where I told him I wanted to join. When I put my name and address in the register, he looked at it and asked if it was the house at the corner. When I replied that yes, he said, “Thank goodness, the 4 teenagers that used to live there kept breaking the church windows.” During my time at the church, I have left and returned twice because I was unhappy with what was happening, but I finally came to realize that this is my home. When I am not happy with something, rather than leave, I will do something about it, no matter what.
During my almost 50 years, I have held many roles, including serving as a church council member twice. My roles on the church council include member at large, secretary for church council meetings, treasurer, warden, and people’s warden. My other positions in the church have included Sunday School teacher, greeter, coffee server, pastoral care provider, sidesperson, choir leader, leader of a home fellowship, lay assistant, and serving on a stewardship drive and funeral team. Outside of the church, I volunteer at the ACW warehouse and, before the COVID-19 pandemic, assisted with services at Laurel Place and Northcrest. I volunteered for all of these roles because I was genuinely interested in being part of the ministry. Some of it, I took on as a challenge and saw as an opportunity to grow in knowledge and faith. I think if we look around our church, there are many areas where we can use our talents, and all we need to do is prayerfully consider these areas to see where God wants us to go. We are very fortunate at St. Cuthbert’s to have a multi-talented congregation, and the volunteerism was evident in the number of people who attended the volunteer brunch. There may also be areas in the church that are not known and where you see a growth opportunity. If that’s the case, maybe this is where your time and talent can be spent and where God wants you to be.
The reason I love my parish of St. Cuthbert’s is that, as said before, it’s my home. I am at home when I walk through those doors and walk into the presence of my church family. I know that they are there for me when I need help, and I would like to think that they know I would be there for them. When my husband had a stroke 6 years ago, which ultimately hospitalized him permanently, they were there for me. I phoned Alan Hains and I said, “Alan, I need someone to prepare some suppers for me. I can get a healthy lunch at the hospital, but when I get home, I don’t have the energy to prepare a healthy meal.” The next day I had meals delivered to my door that lasted for 2 weeks, while I went to the hospital every day for Vern. That is what family is all about, and I am truly blessed and thankful for this family. There have been many other incidents over the years in which my church family has been supportive and caring towards me and my family.
Over the last 20 years, we have had excellent leadership. I have always known that I could sit down with the minister and have a Christian-based conversation with him that would help me with the conflict or problems I had. The conversation was spirit-driven, and I would walk away feeling supported and cared for, knowing that with God’s help, I would find my way. I will be forever grateful for that leadership.
When I look back, I feel that God has directed my path the whole way. He has shown me where there were things that needed to be done and put me on a path of discovery. This path has enabled me to utilize my time and talents for the benefit of God, God’s people, and this church. When my father was in the hospital near the end, he said to me, “When I look back at my life, I am satisfied that I contributed.” I think it is essential to make that contribution with a glad heart. In all the roles I have been involved in, I have been happy to be there, and I genuinely believe that this is what God wants for us. We should give our time and talents with a glad heart. The same can be said for our treasures; we should pledge our treasures with a happy heart. St. Cuthbert is not a make-believe church; it is a real church, and it relies on the support of our treasures to create an environment of spiritual growth and development. We have all received our stewardship letters; if not, they are in your mailboxes in the Narthex. I believe it is essential that we prayerfully consider the contributions we wish to make to this parish for the upcoming year, in support of future sustainable growth in our beloved community and complete the pledge forms accordingly and bring them back so that we can together finance the St. Cuthbert’s ministry plans for 2026.
Thank you.
Cory McCaig
Lookout for the thermometer for the 'Treasure' on the Notice Board in the Narthex that has started its uptick already.
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