Next weekend we celebrate Stewardship Pledge Weekend for 2018. Yes, I used the word celebrate! For we who follow Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our support of our parish is a tangible expression of our gratitude to God for all the blessings we have received. A good steward magnifies the assets of the Master. Our pledge of financial support for the work of God at St. Paul’s helps to magnify the gifts of Christ. It is our opportunity to be a part of God’s mission of love and reconciliation on earth.
On behalf of our entire parish family, I thank all of you who have already made your 2018 pledge. I encourage our brothers and sisters who are still prayerfully considering their 2018 pledge to make your pledge by next Sunday.
The two highlights of Stewardship Pledge Weekend are our Annual Meeting and our Festive Meal. I encourage you to be an active part of both. Our Annual Meeting will take place next Sunday, January 28th beginning at 9:00 am in church. At that meeting, we will elect four new members of our Vestry. Inside this worship bulletin you will find an insert with a brief biography and photo of the four Vestry candidates nominated by our Vestry Nominating Committee.
Our Festive Meal will take place that evening, January 28th, beginning at 5:00 pm here at St. Paul’s. Our Festive Meal is a wonderful chance to come together as a parish family and celebrate the gift that is our common life. The meal is pot luck, so if you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to sign up for a table. The table host will contact you and coordinate what you will bring to the meal at your table.
As you prayerfully consider your financial support of St. Paul’s through your 2018 pledge, I invite you to take a leap of faith in being generous with the work of God. As St. Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians reminds us, “Whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” [2 Cor. 9:6]