2024 Stewardship Campaign – Walk in Love
An Invitation to Love: Theological Statement
In nearly every Episcopal liturgy in which I have participated the celebrant quotes from Ephesians 5:2 to invite the offerings of our time, talent, and treasure to be placed on the altar. “Walk in love,” the offertory sentence begins, “As Christ loved us…” These words are said at the pivotal moment in our liturgy as we move from the reading of and response to the Word into the sacrament of Holy Communion. It is poignant to observe that we mark this moment of transition with an invitation to walk in love.
When we walk in love, there is clarity and purpose. We move in alignment with each other and with our values. Walking in love is also something we cannot do alone – by definition it implies connection, community. Whether we walk with our children or our spouse, or form an orderly line, or rely on the help of a friend or a neighbor to come to chancel we carry with us all with whom we are in communion and they carry us with them. Our journey is one made by millions, over thousands of years. A cycle of sharing and invitation.
What a way to bring our gifts forward: first the bread and wine followed by the offering plates, and finally ourselves – walking in love! When we gather in love, bless, break, and share our gifts and ourselves with the world, we bring healing and transformation to our world. This year you are invited to join in the timeless call to walk in love as you share your wealth, works, and wisdom with a world in need.
Fall 2023 – Rooted in Abundance
Many thanks to all who participated in this year’s stewardship campaign and made a pledge to St. Luke’s. Our Fall Pledge Ingathering was last Sunday, November 26th. In recent weeks, we have learned from reflections offered at the Sunday Eucharist and in the bulletin inserts, the importance of stewardship and that our generosity is informed by the simple theological truth that God has blessed us infinitely with all of the gifts of Creation. Our lives, our labor, our love is devoted to the mission of the Church when we take stock and realize that our lives and our response to God’s generosity are Rooted in Abundance. Our Rector, Mother Barnes; Senior Warden, Mickey Baccoli; Vestry Clerk, Kathy Selemba; Treasurer, Tom Zurla; and Sharon Sollami serve on the stewardship team and are happy to answer any questions you may have about stewardship and service. You will be hearing more from the Stewardship Team in the next week or two. If you have not submitted your 2024 pledge, they may still be sent to the parish office or dropped in the offering plate.
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Rooted in Abundance – Annual Stewardship Campaign to Launch
They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit. – Jeremiah 17:8
Dear St. Luke’s family and friends:
The most important words to say in Church are “thank you.” Say it often, and mean it, and today I say it to you. Thank you for the many gifts that you share with our community.
You have heard the familiar expression “can’t see the forest for the trees” before. We most often use it to describe that occasion in which we lose sight of the big picture while focusing on the details. From my position, I often experience the blessing of being able to see the big picture of our congregation – the ministry we bring to our neighbors, the impact we have on our community, the ways that week after week we come together to celebrate our faith and praise God. This is the forest.
And I get to wander amongst the trees. From the small shoot reaching out from its seed and finding the sunlight, to the mightiest tree, standing tall, showing strength, offering sheltering love to those who need it. You are those trees, each drawing strength from Holy Communion and showering the world with the love and grace you have come to know here. I am blessed in that here in our congregation, I can see both the forest and the trees!
When I walk through a forest, as we frequently do on our Holy Hike ministry, I am aware of the tangle of roots, how one tree is connected to another. Trees use these networks, secretly talking to each other through their roots, passing information along. Adult trees share their sugars with young saplings, a dying tree can send its remaining resources back out to help the community. These networks, these roots of abundance, keep trees in place just as much as they free them to grow and share.
We are grateful to those of you who contribute regularly or made a pledge in 2023. Our growth and sharing is deeply impacted by our giving. Your generosity enables us to offer the richness of worship, Christian Education, community ministry, and programming that we are known for here at St. Luke’s.
In a couple weeks, on September 17thm we will launch our giving campaign for 2024. The theme of our annual pledge campaign this year is Rooted in Abundance, and we are reminded that we are a mighty forest comprised of ancient trunks and sprightly saplings, each of us contributing our gifts to a world that needs us. As you hear the messages and stories of abundance this year, take note of how generosity spreads and widens our root structures of faith and action.
In gratitude,
The Reverend Rebecca A. Barnes, Rector