October 24, 2024

Through this past month our liturgy has used resources from the Season of Creation materials complied and authorized by many Bishops, including our own. Through this time, we’ve been reminded of our Christian responsibility to love and care for the natural world around us. Now, as our pledge season begins, our stewardship emphasis moves from the broad picture of our shared responsibility to care for creation to our more personal responsibility to care for those created things that God has lent us as individuals.

On the face of it, moving from care of everything to care of my own things seems a much more approachable task, but take a few moments to consider all the things we have some responsibility for. This season in the church we’ll be talking, of course, about stewardship of time, talent, and especially treasure. Personal stewardship, however, goes far beyond these. We care for our families and homes, we care for our friends and community, we are given care of employees, students, and volunteers. The way we care for all these people and things is the deepest expression of who we are or, at least, who we want to become. The things we take responsibility for are or become the things we love, they are the values and people in which we are rooted and grounded.

As you consider your pledge for 2025, remember and give thanks for all that you have been given stewardship of. The simple math is pledge = income x 10%. The calculus of the heart, though, is more complex. Before you complete your pledge card, take time to give thanks not only for your church but for all those good things in which you are rooted and grounded, take some time to consider how your care for all those things, including your church, makes you who you are, and then offer the pledge that makes you the person you want to be.

Here are a few reminders:

– Our pledge ingathering celebration and potluck will be Sunday, November 24.

– You can return your pledge by mail, in the offering plate, in the office, or electronically.

– To pledge using Realm, log into your account at onrealm.org, click “Giving” in the menu at the left, near the top of the “Giving” screen you will see a menu that includes “+Give” and “+Pledge”. Click “+Pledge” and then the 2025 Pledge Campaign. Complete the form that appears, click “Save pledge” at the bottom and you’re finished. (Pledging through Realm is no different from a pledge card. It does not withdraw your gift from your account or establish automatic payments. If you would like to do so, use the “+Give” option noted above.)

– One way to give your time and talent is to share your own personal thoughts about our stewardship of the Church of the Resurrection with the congregation on a Sunday morning. Contact Kathleen O’Gieblyn to learn more.