Stewardship – Ginny Balser

  Posted on November 11, 2024  by admin  No comments

Back in early September when our small but dedicated Stewardship team was continuing our weekly discussions and getting down to the nitty gritty of scheduling meetings and announcements and checkpoints, I volunteered to write the stewardship reflection for this week.  I was planning to tell my finding St. Paul’s story, to share how vital the institution and people have become to my daily life and even the fact that my husband Steve never showed up to church but loved the parties and the people of this community.  I was planning to muse on the relationship of giving to receiving and to encourage all of us to dig deeply to give to this community that reminds us on a daily basis that God is good and we can be loving messengers of his goodness through our generosity both within the church and in the community..

Then everything changed, when Steve collapsed and passed away on a gorgeous September afternoon right after we had walked our dogs.  Through my quick call to Marsha saying I could not make the Formation meeting that night, Father Daniel was alerted and came right to the hospital to pray with me in that sad bare room that no one wants to visit. By the next morning, there were  emails, notes, visits and food from parishioners, and over the past eight weeks I have been comforted, prayed for and sustained.  St. Paul’s has been a constant loving presence, from the various services to weekly compline to the cards and emails that remind me that I am held gently and lovingly in this community.  I am at the beginning of this journey, but I know St. Paul’s is with me and I could not be more grateful. 

What does this kindness and outreach have to do with Stewardship?  Each of us at St. Paul’s has or will have times when we desperately need all that St. Paul’s can provide; each and every day we benefit from the ongoing ministry of this very special church, and its continuation in the present and future  depends on us.  We all have found our church home in the beautiful building, the deeply meaningful services, the gorgeous music and the warm embrace of the community. Even as we cherish all of that, we need to realize that we live in the world, and there are financial costs that must be met.  Our fulltime music director Josh represents a leap of faith and belief in the power of music.  Our amazing Marsha knits us all together and keeps the St. Paul’s trains running on time.  Father Daniel is the epitome of the luxury of a  fulltime pastor, who pours his considerable gifts into our liturgies, our prayers, our programs and our people every day.  Though it is tempting to avoid thinking of the finances of the church, we know that these people and more need to be paid and that is part of our obligation. In addition, the repairs must be made, the heat will need to be turned up, and all the candles, incense, and wine must be purchased.  What we think of sometimes as the extra gift of a pledge is really the lifeblood of this community.  I urge each of us to submit a pledge and then look at it again and add a bit more, so that this amazing institution and the people within it can continue to provide as much to the people of the parish and the broader community as they did and do to me.  Thank you so much for your generosity.