Stewardship

One retired minister offered a stewardship perspective in this way, “The question is not, how much of what is mine do I give to others? The question is, how much of what is God’s do I reserve for myself? The answer we give is a faith issue, a stewardship issue.”

My family believes that God calls us to be stewards of His abundance, and I see it as an opportunity. Shouldn’t we be giving God back some of the time, talents, and treasures He has given us in a spirit of joy? Just as we pay for the foundation in which we live (our home), as well as its “supporting characters” (electric, water, sewage, etc.) that combine to make our house a warm, inviting place, we believe that our pledge to St. Andrew’s supports our church foundation (a 100-year-old building needs a lot of care) and its many, many other supporting characters (overhead, staff, mission, outreach, community), with every belief that the time, talents, and treasures we all bring to the table help ensure St. A’s is seen as a warm, inviting house of worship. 

A quote attributed to Aristotle, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” comes to mind here, and I contend that when each of us pledges, we are (1) honoring God’s call for us to be caretakers of all He has entrusted to us and, (2) Although two of the four specific goals for next year’s pledges may first appear miles apart, I feel that maintaining our beautiful, historically rich building and expanding our children’s ministry work hand-in-hand; we want our children to see St. Andrew’s as a safe haven, not just a place to learn about, and serve, a loving and gracious God, but also a SAFE building in every sense of the word.  

We have always faithfully honored our annual pledge, even if that pledge only covers a week of salaries, or necessary maintenance and upkeep repairs that are not “exciting” (like when we must pay a plumber on the weekend—hardly exciting, but necessary). We see St. Andrew’s as our “church home,” and its parishioners become extended family members. When all of us “family members” pledge, it creates what Aristotle said--a combined effect of different elements, which are more valuable, or impactful, than the sum of each of our individual contributions.

It’s a nice thought for me that when I hear the proverb, “it takes a village,” perhaps our collective pledges are doing just that—providing a community of people to support each other, with emphasis on our youth, and ensuring a safe and healthy environment for them to grow in. With St. Andrew’s meeting its stewardship goal, it will be able to do just that, as well as invest in innovative technologies, strengthen our outreach ministries support, and take care of our Centenarian Building that holds so many memories—past, present, and future.

1 Peter 4:10 says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”  May we all see this time of stewardship as an opportunity to continue serving a generous and loving God.

- Debi Nicolai