Thoughts on Stewardship from a Vestry Member

Dear Parish Family,

Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Al Marr and I am the vestry liaison to the stewardship committee. I have been a member of this parish for 24 years. For 21 of those years, as I sat in the back of the church thinking if I ever had the honor to join the vestry, I hoped that I would not be put in charge of the stewardship committee. Well, here I am - dreams do come true.

I will try to keep this brief and maybe you will make it to the end.

There are many things that might motivate one to give back to the church. It may be the peaceful sanctuary, or that we have air conditioning in the summer, heat in the winter, and lights that turn on. This takes stewardship.

For some, it might be our vibrant clergy, who brings us a joyful message and service every Sunday and attends to the spiritual needs of our congregation. This takes stewardship.

For others, it might be the youth programs or the Wednesday night covered dish suppers, the church picnics and chili cook-off or the numerous outreach programs that the church provides for the community. This takes stewardship.

And yet for others, it may be a safe campus, where one is not fearful of plaster falling into your eggs, the roof leaking, or steps that are unsafe to use. This takes stewardship.

I could go on and on but you probably get the point

I imagine all of these things taken together are motivating factors to some degree. I ask each and every one of you to reflect on what might motivate you personally, whether it be from a place of spiritual calling, or a sense of duty and obligation.

So during this stewardship season and to paraphrase President Kennedy I say ask not what the church can do for you but what can you do for the church.

See, short and simple! Please pledge. You can go online, call the church, or even mail in a pew card.

- Al Marr

Tags: Stewardship / Vestry / Announcements / Letters from Leadership and Clergy