Dear Fellow Parishioners,
 
At a recent Vestry meeting, when we were considering who to ask to chair Stewardship this year, I volunteered again, even though I had just chaired Stewardship last year. In fact, this is the fourth time that I’ve chaired stewardship at Incarnation over the years.  

As I expressed in last year’s letter, Incarnation has been a lifeline of support for me since I moved to New York in 1992. I have made close personal and life-long friendships. It has helped me improve my interpersonal and leadership skills. And my parish family has seen me through a life-threatening illness, work and family crises, and other personal challenges, as well as those things that we’ve all experienced together... the attacks of 9/11, the financial crisis, and Covid-19. 

Seen through the lens of life’s challenges, I know how abundantly God has blessed me, and that’s why Stewardship - giving back to God - is so very important to me. And, whenever I get the chance, I evangelize about it. I believe that Stewardship is more than a financial commitment; it should be part of our spiritual practice and growth, as well.

I’m still on a journey to learn to trust God fully. I used to believe that I was equipped, even expected, to solve most problems and challenges on my own. I think a lot of us are conditioned that way. Only in the past few years have I been able to tell myself, “Just use every tool God has given you and then turn the rest over to Him.” And when I’ve done that, I’ve found extra time that I couldn’t have imagined, I’ve found I was able to give money I didn’t think I had to give, or someone showed up in my life just when I needed them.

It’s been the same with pledging. As I trust God more and increase my pledge each year, even when thinking, “I don’t know if I can afford this,” somehow I always have enough. And, it seems more abundance shows up in my life in any number of ways.

But I have a confession. I have never tithed to the Church. I know that my stewardship giving is comparably high, but I’ve struggled with committing 10% of my income to the Church. Part of my reasoning is that I also give to several other charities and so, combined, I feel am giving 10% back to God. And, while that may also be true, I think I need to take a bigger leap of faith.

The letter below from a fellow parishioner inspired me to up my trust in God more fully. So, this year, after more than 27 years at Incarnation, I am finally going to take the leap of faith and tithe to the parish. I trust that God will somehow help me find the means to meet my commitment as well as continue giving to charities outside of the Church.

The Stewardship campaign theme this year is “Let Your Light Shine.” So, if I think of myself as a three-way bulb, this year I’m letting my light shine by turning it up to a higher wattage in faith and trust!

I wish blessings for all of you for bringing your light into the life of this wonderful parish!

“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
 
Faithfully,
 
Susan Ridgeway
Stewardship Chair
Testimony about the Tithe
Dear Incarnation Parishioners, 
   
Ordinarily, as an introvert, I do not talk about personal matters, such as finances. However, I was asked, and agreed, to share my experience with making my 2021 stewardship pledge.

At times, although my intention is to talk about the love of God changing and uplifting our lives, I think I may come across as preachy and judgey. My apologies, in advance, if I come across that way in sharing my experience, which is just one person's, out of many. Also, I do not intend to convey that the only reason to pledge or tithe is for monetary gain, ignoring the spiritual effects.
 
During last year’s Stewardship Drive, Rev. Adrian did a hilarious “The Twenty Dollar Bill” skit: Where a parishioner lugged a $20 bill to church every week, and plunked it into the offering plate, thinking that it had served its purpose. But the parishioner was nudged to remember that there was such a thing as the tithe.

Rev. Adrian’s skit struck me in the heart and changed my life because I'd never given the Church 10% of my income. I was not a Tither. I had always believed that, because I was a good person, I was a better judge of how I was to dispense of my money to church/charities/family, friends and strangers. However, through Rev. Adrian, Holy Spirit has shown me, that for me, I was to change my ways and give the first 10% of my income to the Church/Incarnation. This is called a Tithe. Which I can then Pledge. Then, I am free to give additional money to others. This is called Offerings.

To top it off, the following highlighted scripture stood out in stark relief, stopping me in my tracks, piercing my intellectual reasons for doing things my way:

“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse. 
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this.”
Says the LORD of hosts.
“If I will not open for you the 
  windows of heaven, 
And pour out for you such blessing 
That there will not be room 
  enough to receive it.
And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes.
So that he will not destroy the
  fruit of your ground.…”      Malachi 3:10-11

As a result, I decided to try God at His word, and see what would happen. Starting in January, 2021, I made sure that my 10% Tithe, as Pledge to Incarnation, was the first check of the month that I wrote. 

Here are notes from my Gratitude Journal as to what happened over the months:

A. Monetarily:

*my lawyer said she liked working with me, and reduced my bill by half,

*my electric bill decreased by 55%,

*my retirement accounts increased in value,

*an unexpected refund check appeared in the mail.

B. Spiritually:

*my attitude towards shopping changed: and
  • I returned unsuitable goods for a refund/  
  • closed a storage unit/
  • used coupons on carefully selected products/
  • deleted subscriptions/
  • was no longer mesmerized by ads/etc.
*Because my income went up and my expenses went down, I gave my Covid-19 checks to a struggling friend, who burst into tears when she opened her mail.

*I love words. And many affirmations and articles appeared for me to read, bolstering my decision to Tithe.

God’s response to my 10% Tithe startled and scared me. He made sure I could pay my 10% Tithe and still help others while changing my attitude about being a consumer. Finally, bringing me to a calm decision to continue further in trusting God more fully as I live into the wider, inevitable joys and sorrows of life.

Respectfully, a grateful Incarnation Parishioner
Commitment Sunday Zoom Celebration!
Our Stewardship season culminates on Commitment Sunday, November 14. All will be invited to place their 2022 Commitment Cards in the offering plate to be blessed at the altar. By doing so, we acknowledge before God and each other our intentions to set apart a percentage of our income to help build God’s kingdom through the work of the church. Commitment Cards represent financial pledges and commitments in service to Incarnation’s ministries in the parish and surrounding community.
 
That evening, we’ll gather for a celebration on Zoom from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. “Commitment Packs” with a few small gifts and everything you need for the Zoom will be given to those who RSVP.

To RSVP, reply to this email with the following information:

NAME:
EMAIL:
MAILING ADDRESS:

Please also indicate whether you would like to pick up your Commitment Pack at church or have it mailed to you. Call 212-689-6350 ext. 2, or email office@churchoftheincarnation.org with any questions.
If you are ready to make a financial commitment to Incarnation for 2022, you can do so by clicking the button below. You can also wait to receive a 2022 Commitment Card in the mail or pick one up at church.
Watch this year's stewardship skit, "The Golden Gift: Our First Fruits."
Thank you for supporting the life and work of our parish.