Stewardship at St. George's

Receiving, living, and sharing the abundant life of Jesus Christ

It is with great enthusiasm and anticipation that I embark upon this year’s Stewardship Campaign! We at St. George’s find ourselves at an exciting place on our journey towards a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. First, our newly completed Strategic Plan lays out a powerful map of our future together; a vision extraordinarily committed to our very reason for being: “To receive, live, and share the abundant life of Jesus Christ.” Second, thanks to the generosity of so many of you in 2006, St. George’s made great strides towards reaching our goals. Your generosity allowed us to increase our overall budget this year. Significantly, in addition to many other increases, we were able to augment this year’s short-term Outreach budget by 82% and this year’s InReach budget by 55%. We have much to celebrate and we will begin our celebration with Harvest Dinner on the evening of October 14th!

But there is much yet to do . . .

As I considered this year’s annual Stewardship Campaign, I came to reflect on the individual and intensely personal act of giving. We have all heard that it is “more blessed to give than to receive,” but why is that so? Why are we deeply gratified by the act of giving to another? Perhaps the answer lies in the fact that it is only through the individual act of sharing that we truly connect with others as God intended us to do. Perhaps, too, we have experienced firsthand the positive, tangible impact of our gift in the life of another human being. Whatever the answer, it is certainly true that we ourselves are immeasurably enriched by giving from the heart to others.

There are no limits to what we can do here at St. George’s with our gratitude and generosity leading the way. We are poised to do even greater things . . . and we must do them. As we move forward together on this delightful journey, please prayerfully consider an increase to your pledge for 2008. With everyone’s help, we will continue to be amazed at the blessings bestowed upon others—and received in return!

As Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once eloquently stated: “Give what you have. To some one it may be better than you dare to think.”

With gratitude,
Bryan Essary
2008 Stewardship Chair

Dear Friends

These are exciting days to be a part of the family of St. George’s Church. This year we have completed a Strategic Plan outlining a robust vision for our future life together. It envisions a vital church growing more deeply in Christ in every direction. Fundamental to this process has been articulating our reason for being in the first place: “to receive, live and share the abundant life of Jesus Christ.” One could hardly develop a more faithful and focused purpose statement.

If our discernment of God’s plans is to come to fruition, it will require our active participation and contributions. Indeed, I am convinced that our blessings will increase in direct proportion to our increased giving. This seems to be the way with vibrant Christian living.

We are the Body of Christ, and as such, we are about spiritual realities. Yet an undeniable reality of being the church is paying for the expenses of our operational life. My hope is that we would not separate our spiritual life in Christ from the monetary needs of our church. Indeed, I wonder if we might increasingly understand the annual call to make a sacrificial monetary pledge to church as a deeply spiritual enterprise.

As you consider increasing your pledge to St. George’s for the year 2008, I ask that you sincerely pray for God’s guidance. Allow me to suggest that you pray specifically that God would grant you a deep sense of gratitude for the holy honor of giving to the Lord’s work in and through St. George’s. What would have to happen for all of us to move from thinking “I’ve GOT to give to the church” to “I GET to give to the church?” How might we reconsider our Stewardship Campaign as less of a call to DUTY in giving and more of an opportunity to DELIGHT in giving?

St. Paul writes that “each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9.7). The more I grow in Christ, the more convinced I am that the most assured way of receiving the best and highest that life has to offer is through gratitude and generosity. Gratitude and generosity are the hallmark of the Christian life because they represent the very character of God. As we journey into an exciting future, may they even more deeply represent the character of this beloved parish. If so, I believe we will be blessed – and bless – in even more profound ways than we have already envisioned.
I thank you in advance for your meaningful and generous pledge.

Faithfully yours,

The Rev. R. Leigh Spruill

2008 Pledge Goal

2008 Pledge Goal: $3,200,000.00

As we kickoff this year’s Stewardship Campaign, we are called upon to consider giving as an act of worship, an expression of faith, and a discipline for spiritual growth. An exciting Strategic Plan maps a future full of possibility for us here at this beloved Church. Through our outreach efforts, St. George’s historically has contributed to dozens of local, national, and international missions, and our Strategic Plan envisions continued expansion of our outreach efforts. As you consider your pledge this year, please consider the many blessings God has bestowed. Guided by gratitude and generosity, there is no limit to what we can accomplish!

Dressing Like a Nun

This is the first in a series of articles that will focus on St. George’s purpose statement, to receive, live, and share the abundant life of Jesus Christ and highlight some of our parishioners’ individual experiences living into the vision of our strategic plan. We hope you will enjoy reading about how they have been blessed by their involvement in our community.

Over the course of this program year, we have heard a lot about our strategic plan and how it will guide St. George’s forward in our walk with Christ. If you’re like me, it helps to have examples that illustrate our purpose statement. In the coming months you’re going to see and hear a great deal more about our vision and purpose, to receive, live, and share the abundant life of Jesus Christ, as we intentionally live into it through our worship lives, our fellowship with each other, and our outreach to others.

I will start by sharing with you one of the ways I try to live our purpose statement and what “receiving, living, and sharing the abundant life of Jesus Christ” means to me. As you may know, I have the wonderful experience serving as a LEM during Holy Eucharist. After serving one Sunday, one of my son’s friends asked their parents, “Why does William’s daddy dress like a nun at church?”

As I’ve been thinking about St. George’s purpose statement, I have been reminded of that question: Why do I “dress like a nun” to serve as a LEM, and how does that relate to receiving, living, and sharing? When I am helping serve communion at the altar rail, I am participating in the liturgy and ritual that enables each of us to feel renewed and connected to God. The gift of salvation, represented in the chalice of wine that I humbly hold and offer to you, is the way we as a Parish family receive, live, and share the abundant life of Jesus Christ with each other. It is a small yet profound gift for me to receive and, in turn, share with you.

So, as we move through our summer months and enjoy a change in pace and temperature, vacations and longer days, I invite you to consider what your purpose is as a member of our St. George’s community. Let’s all engage in the vision and purpose, so that we all can receive, live, and share in that experience.

-Bob Kinard, 2008 Stewardship Chair

Stay Current on Pledges

Reprinted from the May 25, 2008 edition of The Living Church

This is a good time to remind readers of the need to keep pledges to their churches current during the summer months. Many congregations have a difficult time in maintaining their budgets when income decreases at this time of year. When members leave on vacation or spend time at a summer residence, pledges fall behind and parish treasurers struggle. We urge church members to be sure their pledges are up to date during the summer months. Like any organization, churches have salaries and benefits to pay, bills that are due, and other needs that may arise. Keeping pledges current is good stewardship.