Stewardship and the Household of God
Hugh Tilson & Terry Johnston, Every Member Canvass Co-Chairs

In the New Testament, the church is referred to as "the household of God." It is pretty clear that Christians see themselves as God’s stewards who have been entrusted with certain ‘goods’ by God, the head of the household. One of the main points of the New Testament is that as stewards we must neither hoard nor waste the ‘goods’ committed to our trust. So, stewardship is being in charge of something else that belongs to someone else. Jesus taught that we are responsible to God for our use of what we are in charge of. He also taught that we owe the owner, i.e., God, a return on what has been assigned to us. Our stewardship begins with our belief that God provides everything we need. Our health and strength, our skills and abilities, are gifts from God. When we say in the Lord’s Prayer "give us this day our daily bread," it is God who feeds us. Stewardship is more than a duty; it is a thankful response to God’s graciousness to us. It is a contribution to maintain the household of God.

Giving to the church is also a sacrifice. The word ‘sacrifice’ has been defined as "making something holy by giving it away for love." Christian stewardship is about ‘sacrificial giving’, i.e., consecrating our time, our talents, and our money in the service of God as we give back to Him our grateful thanks for all His love to us. In the Eucharist, we offer "ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy and living sacrifice." Shouldn’t we consider faithful stewardship to be part of that sacrifice?

Finally, think of stewardship as an adventure, an expedition into the kingdom where our lives are lost for the sake of the gospel. Stewardship is putting our selves on the line for God, to work with God to maintain His household. Not many of us will be called to be a missionary in a foreign land or to quit our day jobs to distribute aid in a war-torn country in Middle Asia, but we have financial lives that may in fact be one of the best opportunities to serve Christ. Your contribution can ‘travel’ for you, i.e., it can be used to support our musical program, enhance Christian education, provide mission trips for our students, and feed the poor through the Interfaith Council. It can even be used to provide aid and assistance to those victimized by hurricanes or earthquakes or the ravages of war. The ‘travels’ of our giving bring us closer to God and His Household.

This fall, we once again begin the harvest of our treasure, the offering of our lives, and the fruits of our labors into God’s household. With that harvest, we proclaim His glory and express our gratitude. It is through our giving that the church continues the work of Christ and goes about his Father’s business of healing and restoring all of us to the household of God. Here are some dates to remember.

Sunday, September 22: We had an evening dinner at the church focusing on the budgetary needs for the next year. Parishioners discussed what is working at the Chapel of the Cross and where improvements should be made.

Friday, October 11: Pledge packets will be mailed to parishioners. Included in these packets will be a survey for time and talent, as well as the usual financial pledge. Online pledging will be available.

Sunday, October 20: The vestry will host a 10:20 a.m. forum session to kick-off the Every Member Canvass.

Tuesday and Wednesday, October 22 and 23: Volunteers will call parishioners’ homes between 7 and 9 p.m. to determine if packets have been received and to answer any questions about the canvass.

Sunday, November 24: There will be an in-gathering ceremony to end the canvass.

If you do not receive your pledge packet by October 21, please call the parish office, Hugh Tilson or Terry Johnston so that another packet can be mailed to you. If you plan to be out of town for an extended period of time during October and November, please let us know so that we can take your absence into consideration.

Wordsworth said "Give all thou canst; high Heaven rejects the lore of nicely-calculated less or more." When we participate in this kind of generous overflowing of giving, can we not be far from His house?