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This Sunday is Stewardship Sunday, a day where we celebrate our gifts and commit to using them for the mission and ministry of the Church. I mentioned last year that more than Easter or Christmas or Pentecost, the stewardship sermon was the one that gave me the most anxiety as a first-year pastor. This year, however, I find myself preparing for Stewardship Sunday with a smile because there is nothing stressful about asking you to give your gifts to the Spirit's work!
Now, yes, in the modern era of mission, money is a big part of that. But it is my hope that this campaign has helped us understand that stewardship is more than just about money and the things we do with it; it is really about how we as a community live into discipleship together and bring our gifts to Christ's mission as his Body.
As Presbyterians, we emphasize the importance of communal discernment—that is, the collective effort to prayerfully discover where the Spirit is leading us—in the development and implementation of mission. Stewardship is something we are all called to as disciples of Christ, and so we should all be involved in discerning how stewardship becomes mission and ministry.
That is why this Sunday, we will be doing something a little different for the offering! You will each receive three note cards that represent three elements of mission that support our Holy Community at First Pres: Children, Sacred Music, and the Ministry of Care and Compassion. Following the sermon, you will have the opportunity to write down on each of these cards either things that are meaningful to you or something you'd like us to focus on more. In essence, I am asking you to consider these three elements of our mission and identity and tell me what they mean to you and how these things make us a church. You can write as much or as little as you want before passing them forward in the offering plate where they will be prayed over and used by Session as part of their continual discernment of the Spirit's direction.
Here are some examples of what I might write on these cards:
It is such a joy to break bread together because it not only feeds our bodies but our hearts and minds. Both at Christ's table and our kitchen table, our souls meet each other and we are better able to see one another through the breaking of bread. Therefore, I might write on the "Ministry of Care and Compassion" card that I would love to see us do more community dinners at First Pres.
Sacred music provides an opportunity for us to express ourselves in ways that mere words do not suffice. It is a universal experience of the Spirit that is far from uniform; we encounter one Spirit, but each encounter is unique. Therefore, I might write on the "Sacred Music" card that I want more people to experience the beauty of sacred music in our space.
Finally, children are such an essential part of who we are at First Pres. A Children's Place daycare is the primary way we show Love, compassion, and kindness to the children of our area, so I might write on the "Children" card that I love the fact we run a daycare in our church and I want to explore how we can better support our #1 mission.
You may be wondering, why do I want to do this on Stewardship Sunday? Well, to quote David Horne, our Minister of Music: "We ask you for money, but that's not what makes us the Church!" It is our faithful commitment to the Gospel, the discernment of the whole community, and the actions of that community that make us the Church! Therefore, as much as I hope you will give your time, and your treasure, I hope you will give your talent as well! That not only means your gifts and passions but your perspectives, your ideas, and your dreams for this community. What better time to offer these gifts than Stewardship Sunday, the day we commit ourselves to being the building blocks of the Church and active members of Christ's Body?
So do be thinking about these offerings, Friends, as you dedicate the gift of YOU to our mission and ministry. If you are bringing a pledge with you, you may place it in the Baptismal font in the narthex before or after worship. You may also make a pledge online at https://www.firstpresjamestown.com/pledge, or bring it into the office anytime.
~ Rev. J. Davis Creach
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