Dear Youth and Parents,
This Sunday, in worship, we will celebrate Commitment Sunday. It’s the day that we turn in our Commitment Cards, telling the church what it can expect from us in the coming year. Don’t get me wrong, those cards are incredibly helpful as we budget and dream about what the next year might look like. But if stewardship ends with turning in our Commitment cards then perhaps, we have missed the point.
As good Presbyterians, we believe that everything we are and everything we have belongs to God, not to us. And so, returning to God some of the gifts we have received is a crucial expression of our faith.
It is a practice long lived out in faith traditions, beginning with the great ancestors of faith, who quite literally made offerings to God, the first fruits as they were called.
But returning to God what is God’s is about far more than money. Stewardship is about all aspects of our lives, our time, our talents, and yes, our treasures. And so, while part of stewardship includes the question, “How much money should I give?” Stewardship also includes questions like “How is the work I do part of my stewardship of God’s gifts?” Or “How does caring for those around me express my belief in God’s love for this world?” Or “How is the way I spend my time a reflection of my faith?”
These are harder questions to answer, and they go far beyond a single Commitment Sunday. And so, this year, I would challenge you to do more than fill out a Commitment Card. Take the Spiritual Gifts Assessment and perhaps learn something new about how God has uniquely created you. Look over the Time and Talent form and see how God might be calling you to participate in the life and ministry of FPC.
These are tangible expressions of stewardship and our belief that everything we are and everything we have belongs to God. And this isn’t just for the adults, because we all have a place and role in the life of the church. For we are all part of the body of Christ, we all have something to offer, and the body of Christ is at its best when we all participate.
If you look at these documents and wonder how or where you might fit in, e-mail me or give me a call, I would love to talk more about how God might be uniquely shaping and calling you.
Grace and peace,
Kimmy
404-632-9933
