What Grace Church Means to Me and My Prayer for Your Pledge
Karin Baere, Stewardship Committee
I grew up attending church, at least until I left for college. My 20's were spent dabbling in church attendance, if I went at all, but after I turned 30, still single and living in New York City, I found a church, and it became a welcoming place for me, a comforting place for me, a place not to feel lonely: it became my church home. (as an aside, happily enough I also met my husband there).
We moved here when our children were small, and we raised them at Grace, my church home in Nyack. Sure, I wanted to educate them in the Christian faith, but I also wanted them to think of Grace Church as a home for them, both a spiritual and a physical home, where they would always be welcome and could find faith and family, especially in times of trial, but also for occasions of joy. I expect that at ages 28 and 31 they do not attend church services today. I only hope that when and if they find themselves troubled, seeking spiritual guidance, or evenly just plain lonely, that they know they can go to a church, and that a church can be a home and family.
This is what Grace Church has meant to me.
On to Stewardship, then. I have a childhood friend who attended Divinity School after college, so of course I texted her and asked for her advice on what I should tell you about Stewardship. She replied, and I quote, “I'm practicing stewardship of personal resources to ensure a future gift to the family. Church is the larger context.”
She is suggesting that we practice stewardship of our personal resources to ensure a generous portion for Grace. Isn't that what tithing is all about?
In closing, from Luke, Chapter 12, I leave you with my prayer for your pledge:
“Freely ye have received; freely give.”
