From Karen McPherson
Stewardship Ministry chair
These are her comments from last Sunday's worship service...
I am the chair of the Stewardship Committee. This is new to me.
I have had to really focus on what you and I FEEL about this congregation - I call it "feelings before finance".
For instance:
How do you FEEL when our kids set up their cardboard city on the lawn to experience just a little of what the homeless population might feel.
How do you FEEL when you see people come year after year to get yet another tie-dyed t-shirt, because they have outgrown last year's - and this is a highlight of their annual Chatham vacation.
How do you FEEL when you see the whole community - the congregation and the boy and girl scouts and others - unloading pumpkins. And then meeting people from all over the world who come up to ask questions about the pumpkins and the groups we contribute the proceeds to.
How do I FEEL, grumpily making cookies each December, thinking how much easier it would be to just donate the money I spend on ingredients - but then see the excitement of people who come every year to buy their cookies.
How do we FEEL here in this sanctuary when the choir sings something particularly amazing - when guest musicians share their passions - what pride we FEEL realizing how we nurtured someone like Julian Petrallia?
How often do you FEEL that Joe or Terry - or Judy - has spoken right to your heart on Sunday morning?
For the last two Sundays we have had a Ministry Fair set up in the Vestry to give an idea of the many areas we serve and support.
Now it's time to commit to keep it all going - each of us to do what we can.
In the Connections newsletter, I said that we cannot "understate the contributions of our staff." When I actually read that, I was pretty horrified, that I wrote "understated", rather than "overstated". Not too many people caught it, thank goodness. Still - we cannot OVERSTATE what each of our staff contributes to this Congregation where we can FEEL our place so often in this community and in the world. We NEED to give them raises - which we have not done in a number of years. We NEED to plan for Joe's sabbatical this coming year. We NEED to keep it going.
This Sunday is Stewardship Sunday. Letters are being sent out this week.
I erred and only included one Time and Talent card in each envelope prior to sealing them. I know that many, if not most, of our households have more than one person, and that each person's Time & Talent contributions differ. More cards are available on the info table in the vestry and in the office - or you can
click on the link here to print additional copies.
