Beloved Community,

I am not sure there is anything more joyful in the life of a parish (not to mention this priest's heart) than welcoming a beloved child of God into the household of God.  On Sunday we baptized this beauty, Samantha Rae Polanco.  The Spirit and love were palpable.  And, as befits our shared affirmation of the baptismal covenant, we blessed the abundance of ministries in this place after sharing in the feast of Communion and before sharing the feast of our fellowship and culinary gifts at the cookout.  From beginning to end, this day spoke to the heart of who we are and how it is we live our faith.

Choosing to worship together, to wonder together, to pray together, to play together, and to serve together helps us to experience the divine in the ordinary and mundane of our daily lives, as well as in the celebrations and in the sorrows.  One of the most beautiful gifts of this parish is the commitment of care we make to each other and to God's beloved in other neighborhoods and communities, a commitment that we embody across our differences in ways that celebrate the diversity we encounter.  As one who is still relatively new to St. Stephen's, I can tell you that this way of being should not be taken for granted, nor is it the reality in all faith communities.  It truly is a special charism of this place and a wonderful way to be Church and let love beget love.

Being Church in the ways we do, which include the ministries within our walls and those beyond our borders, is a gift in and of itself.  All that you give -time, talent, treasure, prayer, experience - is invaluable and greatly appreciated.  As we enter the season in which we make plans for next year, we will continue to talk about Living Our Faith and Giving in Faith.  We will be asking you to prayerfully consider the ways in which you contribute to the mission and ministries of the parish, specifically your financial support.  As you may know, Episcopal parishes are self-supporting, meaning all that we do is possible only because we give generously.  We will ask you to make an intentional and proportional pledge to support what we do now and to help us grow into the dream God has for us.

Giving in faith, out of gratitude for all that God has done, is doing, and will do, in and through us, is a double-sided gift. Outwardly, it supports the parish and our ministries and is, as they say, "the gift that keeps on giving."  Inwardly, it draws us closer to the heart of God. When we are prayerful and intentional in our giving, when we give joyfully out of a place of abundance and abundant gratitude, we are reminded of how well and fully we are loved.  Each and every time we make a pledge or write a check or see an automatic withdrawal from our bank account or use the tithe.ly app, we remember how well and fully we are loved.  It is a meaningful and poignant reminder of how love begets love. It is a joyful reminder of how we live our faith.

Peace & Blessings,

Paula+

It's also possible to access Tithe.ly through our website - click on the "Give" button in the menu and you will be given the option to use Tithe.ly. 

Don't worry.  If you prefer to use a check or cash, that's fine.  If you are a Vanco user and want to keep it that way, that is good, too.