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Stewardship 2009 Reflection - The Reverend Dr. Robert S. Dannals |
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| Holland Sullivan | |
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We were really struck by a line in The Rev. Bob Dannals’ letter last year asking the congregation to pledge. He wrote, “The motivating force of our generosity should be plain and simple: the desire to glorify God and to accomplish the work of Christ in the world.” When we read that, we felt that sentence said it all, simply and succinctly. This is the essence of Christian life that we strive to keep in our hearts every day, to teach our children, and to spread to our community. n Diana and Geoff Newton God has blessed and enriched our lives in so many abundant ways for which we are forever grateful. To thank him—and to honor the trust and love he has shown us--we try to give back to the fullest. Giving is through actions, certainly, but it is also giving of one’s material substance. Committing to further God’s work through stewardship at Saint Michael’s is what we firmly believe is our “faith in action.” "Let Go, Let God." This simple phrase has always reminded us to trust God in everything. Instead of worrying about the problems or challenges in life, we pray for God to direct our steps. The act of letting go of our money, too, is a difficult but important part of our Christian life. By pledging to St. Michael each year, we trust the Lord to use our resources to enrich the lives of others. We certainly have been blessed and it is our privilege to give back through our church. n Electra and Jeff Harelson Someone once asked a rather large group in church to raise their hands if they worked hard to reach the place they were in life. Virtually all hands were in the air. He then asked to leave them up if people had paid for their own college or were the first in their family to go to college, or if they grew up near or below the poverty line, or if they were a minority or were born outside the United States or in a third world country. His point was made. We are all blessed through grace. Thus, it is our obligation and responsibility to be good stewards of that grace and give back to God. n Nancy and Kyle Moore Our attitude toward stewardship stems from theological principles and their practical application. Theologically, we know that God loves us and hopes that we, his Creation, will reach our full potential. Jesus has taught us how to do this: by directing our personal time, talent, and treasure away from solely personal objectives to those of the Church, God's incarnation in the world today. Beyond these truths, our notion of stewardship is more practical. We have bills to pay, but we try to place the Church's bills near the top of our big expenses. We end up pledging a percentage of our pre-tax income to St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church. We give additional funds to other charities which, in our mind, further God's plan. Our SMAA contribution is not a tithe, but we definitely "feel" the pledge each month, and we are glad to strengthen the church and its missions. CLICK HERE to pledge online. |