02/07/2024 0 Comments
From the Vicar: Stewardship and Attention
From the Vicar: Stewardship and Attention
# From The... - Letters to the Congregation
From the Vicar: Stewardship and Attention
Dear Ones of St. Columba's,
At this week's Wednesday night worship on Zoom Carol Everson was our preacher. Carol talked about Earth Day, and our relationship as Christians with the earth. In her homily, Carol quoted a scholar of the Hebrew Scriptures who notes that the Hebrew words in our creation story that are translated as "till" and "tend" are used elsewhere in the Hebrew Scriptures to mean words such as "serve" and "listen." Carol, along with the scholar she was quoting, wondered what it would be like for us to serve the earth instead of dominating it, what it might look like to reframe our right relationship as Christians with our planet as one of listening, instead of controlling.
The irony, of course, this Earth Day, is that while we suffer under stay at home orders and a stalled economy, the ceasing of human activity has been a gift to this earth that one of our Eucharistic Prayers calls "our island home." Pollution is down, air and water quality is up, and even human life is by some measures doing better - there are fewer car crashes, for example. What is a life altering disruption (if not an outright devastating trauma) for us is simultaneously a deep breath and a rest for our natural world.
I have been wondering what it would look like if we approached all the parts of our lives where we are stewards of something in this way - as those who listen and serve. As we begin someday to return to our human industrial activities, it is my hope that as stewards of our earth we will find ways to listen and serve our planet. And, in the midst of this crisis as we steward our relationships, our finances, our resources I hope we can listen to our hearts, the people whose lives are affected by this stewardship, and our faith in order to choose service over dominion and control.
This is the approach we hope to take with financial stewardship at St. Columba's. In our e-news this week you will find a financial report from our first quarter that includes information on how money has been spent, and how giving has gone. The very short report is that our giving and financial resources are not unaffected by this global crisis, but we are doing okay. We will also be getting quarterly giving statements out within the next two weeks, so please keep an eye out for those.
We are also asking each of you to fill out a simple Financial Update During Covid-19 form letting us know how the shutdown is affecting you financially, and how you think it will effect your ability to maintain your pledge at St. C's this year. This form is not meant to be intrusive - signing your name is optional - but it is an attempt on the part of your leadership to listen to you, so that we can serve you and steward the resources of our faith community better. I hope you will fill out the form, which you can find by clicking here. If you do choose to attach your name, the information will be kept confidential in the same way pledge info is.
We have much to listen to these days, in order to be good stewards of our resources, including less tangible but even more valuable resources of our hearts, minds, attention, energy, and care. I am grateful, every day, for the trust, openness, and care you put into this community of faith and all it holds - a resource that we steward and serve, together.
with care and gratitude,
Alissa
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