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October 15, 2025
Dear Saint Stephen’s Family,
As this year’s Stewardship Chair and a member of the Vestry, I would like to share with you some thoughts about Saint Stephen’s and Stewardship. Our parish is a growing and vibrant community. I feel very blessed to be a member.
As our theme this year “Walk in Love” suggests, Saint Stephen’s is much more than our gathering on Sunday mornings or evenings. The words “Walk in Love” are taken from Ephesians 5:2: “Walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God”. We hear it on Sunday as a part of our offertory liturgy. At Saint Stephen’s, we use our resources to reach both inside and outside our own parish, trying to live in ways that reflect Christ’s own love—a love that is generous, faithful, and self-giving. Our Sunday stewardship talks have spoken of ways to minister to our youth expanding their worlds, and the steadfastness of having a vibrant community. Jesus did not simply tell us about love, he showed us what it looks like by giving himself completely for the sake of all of us. At Saint Stephen’s, we have many different ways to live that love.
Sometimes when we hear the word stewardship, we think only about money. We think fundraising. Today we think about affordability, about the cost of almost everything going up. Affordability is a concern for all of us including Saint Stephen’s. It affects our ability to carry out our missions and operations. That’s why every pledge is important.
But, stewardship is a much broader term than that. It’s about recognizing that everything we have—our time, our talents, our resources, and even our lives—is a gift from God. Stewardship is simply our response to God’s generosity with our own time, talents, and resources.
So, during this stewardship season, I invite all of us to think of our pledge not simply as a financial commitment, but as one more step in our walk with Christ. Each gift, whatever the size, is an expression of gratitude, trust, and love. Together, those steps become the path that allows each of us and our parish to continue God’s work.
We will offer our financial gifts and commitments to God on Consecration Sunday, October 25, 2026.
If you have prayerfully considered your pledge and are ready to make your pledge, you may do so here.
May we walk together in love.
Faithfully,
Mike Monroe,
Stewardship Chair, Vestry Class of 2026
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